GREAT  CITIES  OF  EUROPE 


VM^W 

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GREAT   CITIES 
OF    EUROPE 

FIRST    SERIES 


BY 
ESTHER  SINGLETON 

AUTHOR  OF  "ROME,"  "FLORENCE,"  ETC. 


GARDEN  CITY       NEW  YORK 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

1913 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 
THE  BAKEE  &  TAYLOE  COMPANY 


Published,  June,  191D 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

LONDON:  THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS 11 

ANTWERP:  THE  CITT  OF  RUBENS 63 

THE  HAGUE:  "THE  LARGEST  VILLAGE  IN  EUROPE"       .  99 

AMSTERDAM:  THE  VENICE  OF  THE  NORTH         .       .       .  124 

HAMBURG:  THE  BEEFSTEAK  TOWN                            .  160 

COPENHAGEN:  THE  ATHENS  OF  THE  NORTH      .       .       .  187 

STOCKHOLM:  THE  VENICE  OF  THE  NORTH  ....  222 

CHRISTIANIA:  THE  CITY  TWICE  FOUNDED          .       .       .  250 

EDINBURGH:  THE  MODERN  ATHENS 270 

DUBLIN:  THE  SEAT  OF  IRISH  GOVERNMENT  295 


LIST  OF  ILLTJSTKATTONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

St.  Paul's  Church,  London    ....          Frontispiece 

The  Clock  Tower,  Houses  of  Parliament,  London       .       .  34 

Place  Verte  and  Cathedral,  Antwerp 82 

The  Vyver,  The  Hague 102 

The  Heerengracht,  Amsterdam 128 

The  Harbor,  Hamburg 162 

Jungfernstieg,  The  Alster  Cathedral,  Hamburg  .       .       .170 

Palace  Square,  Copenhagen      .......  200 

Old  and  New  Stockholm  from  Katarina  Hissen  .       .       .  228 

Carl    Johan's    Street,  Royal    Palace    in    the    distance, 

Christiania 256 

Edinburgh  from  Calton  Hill 292 

O'Connell's  Bridge,  Dublin 300 


GREAT  CITIES  OF  EUROPE 

FIRST  SERIES 


A  GUIDE  TO  CITIES 


THE  GREAT  METROPOLIS 

THE  capital  of  the  British.  Empire,  often  called 
the  "  Modern  Babylon/'  is  the  greatest  city  in 
the  world.  Its  population  equals  that  of  Ireland  or 
Scotland.  Its  immensity  has  long  been  the  theme  of 
native  and  foreign  writers;  and  the  life  of  its 
swarming  millions  always  produces  a  strong  impres- 
sion on  the  visitor. 

"  I  have  seen  the  greatest  wonder  which  the  world 
can  show  to  the  astonished  spirit,"  the  poet  Heine 
wrote.  "  I  have  seen  it  and  am  still  astonished — for- 
ever will  there  remain  fixed  indelibly  on  my  memory 
the  stone  forest  of  houses  amid  which  flows  the  rush- 
ing stream  of  faces  of  living  men  with  all  their  varied 
passions  and  all  their  terrible  impulses  of  love,  of 
hunger  and  of  hatred — I  mean  London." 

So  vast  is  London  that  people  who  live  in  one  part 
of  London  know  little  or  nothing  about  another ;  and 
can  easily  lose  their  way  in  the  labyrinth  of  unfamil- 
iar streets.  In  1881  John  Bright  said :  "  I  have 
spent  six  months  there  every  year  for  forty  years, 
and  yet  I  know  nothing  about  it.  I  do  not  believe 

11 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

that  there  is  a  man  in  it  who  is  fairly  acquainted  with 
all  the  parts  and  districts  of  that  vast  city." 

We  know  very  little  of  the  early  history  of  Lon- 
don. It  was  a  Celtic  settlement  when  the  Romans 
arrived.  Aulus  built  a  fort  there  in  43.  Though  a 
large  place,  it  was  of  no  strategical  importance,  and 
Suetonius  abandoned  it  to  the  rebels  under  Boadicea 
jn  61.  Soon  afterwards  a  bridge  was  built  with  a 
fort  to  protect  the  northern  end.  The  western  limit 
of  this  fort  was  probably  where  London  Stone  now 
stands  in  Cannon  Street  The  houses  multiplied 
about  the  fort,  but  the  settlement  was  not  walled  until 
369.  The  enclosure  was  then  an  area  of  380  acres. 
The  Picts  and  Scots  were  unable  to  take  it.  The 
Romans  having  withdrawn  in  410,  the  city  was  in 
the  utmost  disorder.  When  the  Britons  were  de- 
feated by  the  heathen  Saxons  in  457,  they  retreated 
to  London.  We  hear  nothing  more  of  the  city  until 
604,  when  it  is  an  unimportant  place  with  ruined 
walls  held  by  the  King  of  the  East  Saxons.  It  was 
open  to  all  invaders,  until  it  was  finally  burned  and 
deserted  by  the  Danes  in  839.  Fifty  years  later, 
Alfred  saw  the  great  military  value  of  the  place.  In 
886  he  repaired  the  wall  and  founded  the  present 
city  of  London.  For  citizens  he  chose  English, 
Danes,  and  French  and  German  settlers  indifferently ; 
BO  that  very  early  the  population  was  mixed.  In 
Alfred's  laws,  a  man  who  had  crossed  the  sea  thrice 
in  his  own  boat  was  worthy  of  citizenship  (thane- 
right).  Later  kings  encouraged  the  commerce  of  the 
port  and  the  fortifications  were  not  neglected,  so  that 

12 


The  City  of  London 

London  was  the  only  place  in  England  that  could 
withstand  the  Danes.  In  982,  the  city  suffered  from 
a  terrible  fire,  but  the  walls  and  gates  were  not  in- 
jured. The  Southwark  end  of  the  bridge  must  have 
been  well  fortified ;  because,  in  order  to  get  above  the 
bridge,  Canute  had  to  dig  a  canal  around  Southwark 
for  his  boats.  When  Canute  became  king,  London's 
tribute  was  one-seventh  of  the  entire  sum  contributed 
by  the  country.  Edward -the  Confessor  held  his  par- 
liaments in  this  city  and  built  Westminster  Abbey, 
which  was  consecrated  in  1065. 

After  the  battle  of  Hastings,  the  Londoners  at  first 
successfully  resisted  William  the  Conqueror,  but  soon 
thought  it  wise  to  submit.  William  needed  a  strong- 
hold to  overawe  the  citizens;  and  the  White  Tower 
was  commenced  in  1078.  In  1083  St.  Paul's  was 
also  begun  on  the  site  of  the  old  church  founded  by 
Ethelbert  in  610.  The  City  was  now  swarming  with 
Norman  settlers.  It  suffered  many  calamities.  In 
1077  occurred  such  a  fire  "  as  never  was  before  since 
London  was  founded."  Ten  years  later,  another  fire 
consumed  "  the  greatest  and  fairest  part  of  the  whole 
City."  In  1090,  also,  a  hurricane  destroyed  many 
churches  and  six  hundred  houses. 

London  rapidly  became  rich  and  powerful.    It  was 
the  support  of  the  City  that  enabled  Stephen  to  hold  , 
his  own  against  Matilda.     In  1176,  London  Bridge 
was  rebuilt  with  stone.    In  1189,  the  first  mayor  was 
elected. 

Henry  II.  with  heavy  taxes  made  the  City  pay 
dearly  for  its  hostility  to  his  mother;  but  his  son 

13 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Richard  granted  many  privileges.  John  also  granted 
several  charters.  London  always  knew  how  to  in- 
crease its  power  and  privileges  by  giving  monetary 
aid  to  necessitous  princes. 

London  was  always  a  turbulent  city,  jealous  of  its 
rights,  antagonistic  to  the  King's  ministers,  sympa- 
thetic towards  rebels  and  pretenders,  and  favorable  to 
claimants  to  the  Crown.  It  sided  with  De  Montfort 
against  Henry  III.  and  attacked  the  Queen's  barge 
at  London  Bridge.  Bolingbroke  was  the  idol  of  the 
Londoners,  who  gladly  helped  to  make  him  king  and 
depose  Richard  II.  Edward  IV.  found  similar  favor 
and  assistance  in  deposing  Henry  VI.  His  brother, 
Richard  III.,  also  found  favor  in  the  City,  where  he 
lived  at  Crosby  Hall.  Charles  I.  had  to  abandon  his 
hated  ministers  Laud  and  Strafford  to  the  vengeance 
of  the  Londoners,  and  later  flee  from  his  rebellious 
capital,  returning  to  it  only  to  lose  his  own  head. 

When  discontent  and  misery  in  the  counties  broke 
out  into  open  rebellion,  there  was  always  a  strong  fac- 
tion in  the  City  ready  to  welcome  and  assist  the  move- 
ment. In  1381,  Wat  Tyler  and  his  followers  could 
not  have  gained  the  City  if  the  draw  of  London 
Bridge  had  not  been  lowered  by  an  Alderman  and 
his  party.  It  was  only  when  the  mob  began  to  plunder 
that  the  City  became  alarmed.  The  murder  of  the 
Archbishop,  the  Chancellor  and  the  Treasurer  in  the 
Tower  and  the  sack  of  John  of  Gaunt's  palace  were 
popular  acts ;  but  when  the  City  seemed  to  be  at  the 
mercy  of  the  rabble,  the  Lord  Mayor  killed  the  leader 
in  the  presence  of  the  King  at  Smithfield. 

14 


The  City  of  London 

The  next  popular  rising  in  which  London  was  in- 
terested was  Jack  Cade's  Kebellion  (1450).  The 
Kentish  men  encamped  first  at  Blackheath  and  then 
at  Southwark.  After  a  Royal  force  was  defeated  the 
Court  agreed  to  remedy  some  of  the  abuses  complained 
of  and  Jack  Cade  was  admitted  into  the  City  where 
he  kept  his  followers  under  strict  discipline  for  two 
days.  However,  he  induced  the  mayor  and  judges  to 
condemn  Lord  Say,  one  of  the  most  hated  of  the 
King's  ministers,  whose  head  was  immediately  cut 
off  in  Cheapside  by  the  insurgents.  The  next  day 
Cade  set  the  example  of  plundering  some  houses; 
and  on  his  return  to  Southwark,  London  Bridge  was 
closed  against  him  and  successfully  resisted  a  night 
attack.  Cade's  army  soon  dispersed,  and  he  was  killed 
shortly  afterwards  by  an  esquire  named  Iden,  who 
received  a  rich  reward. 

In  1554,  after  beating  the  Royal  forces  Sir  Thomas 
Wyatt  tried  to  take  the  City,  but  the  Londoners  suc- 
cessfully defended  Ludgate,  and  captured  Wyatt  and 
promptly  executed  him. 

London  was  always  fond  of  pageantry.  One  of  the 
most  magnificent  processions  the  city  ever  saw  was 
in  1356  when  the  Black  Prince  escorted  his  prisoner, 
King  John  of  France,  through  the  streets  after  his 
victory  at  Poitiers.  John  was  lodged  at  the  Savoy, 
John  of  Gaunt's  great  palace  in  the  Strand,  which 
was  sacked  thirty-five  years  later  by  the  rebels  under 
Wat  Tyler.  Many  a  brilliant  cavalcade  of  knights 
and  ladies  passed  from  the  Tower  to  the  tournaments 
held  in  Smithfield ;  and  splendid  were  the  processions 

15 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

of  the  City  Companies,  and  Watch,  -which  Royalty 
often  graced  with  its  presence. 

London  was  frequently  scourged  with  dreadful  pes- 
tilences, the  Black  Death,  the  English  Sweat,  and 
the  Plague  carried  off  thousands  of  victims  in  the 
crowded  and  unsanitary  dwellings  in  the  narrow 
lanes  of  the  City.  The  worst  visitation  of  this  nature 
was  the  Plague  of  1665,  when  50,000  deaths  occurred 
between  June  and  December.  All  business  was  sus- 
pended, and  all  who  could  left  the  City.  Great  fires 
were  kindled  in  the  streets  to  purify  the  air,  and  lit- 
tle was  heard  but  the  rumble  of  the  death-cart  and  the 
cry :  "  Bring  out  your  Dead !  " 

In  the  following  year,  Old  London  was  practically 
wiped  out  by  the  Great  Fire,  which  was  a  blessing  in 
disguise,  since  it  destroyed  most  of  the  plague-in- 
fected dwellings.  It  broke  out  on  September  2,  1666. 
Fanned  by  a  high  wind  it  raged  for  nearly  a  week 
and  consumed  eighty-nine  churches,  four  city  gates, 
the  Guildhall  (all  but  the  walls)  and  many  other 
public  buildings,  13,200  houses  and  460  streets. 
People  fled  to  Hampstead,  Highgate,  Moorfields  and 
Smithfield ;  and  the  Thames  was  crowded  with  boats 
filled  with  people  and  their  possessions.  Everybody 
bore  his  trials  heroically;  and  when  the  fire  stopped 
"  the  citizens,  instead  of  complaining,  discoursed  al- 
most of  nothing  but  of  a  survey  for  rebuilding  the 
city  with  bricks  and  large  streets."  Most  of  the  task 
was  given  to  Christopher  Wren  and  Robert  Hooke. 
Wren's  great  work  was  the  rebuilding  of  St.  Paul's 
and  more  than  fifty  parish  churches. 

16 


The  City  of  London 

What  was  left  of  the  City  standing  within  the  walls 
covered  only  seventy-five  acres !  Strange  to  say,  only 
six  or  eight  persons  perished !  To  commemorate  the 
Great  Fire,  the  Monument  was  erected  on  the  site  of 
St.  Margaret's  Church  on  Fish  Street  Hill.  It  was 
designed  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren  and  consists  of  a 
tall  fluted  column  202  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a 
gilt  bronze  ornament  resembling  flames.  Originally 
the  Monument  had  an  inscription  attributing  the  con- 
flagration to  the  malice  of  Papists.  This  fact  ac- 
counts for  Pope's  couplet: 

"  Where  London's  column  pointing  to  the  skies 
Like  a  tall  bully  lifts  its  head  and  lies." 

The  City  was  soon  rebuilt. 

In  1685,  Louis  XIV.  revoked  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
thus  banishing  thousands  of  the  best  craftsmen  in 
France.  These  Huguenots  came  to  London  in  large 
numbers  and  settled  in  Spitalfields.  Being  mostly 
engaged  in  silk-weaving,  they  were  the  founders  of 
the  Spitalfields  silk  industry. 

The  City  extended  rapidly  during  the  eighteenth 
century.  In  1710,  Parliament  enacted  that  fifty  new 
churches  should  be  built  to  supply  the  spiritual  needs 
of  the  suburbs.  Many  of  the  fashionable  streets  and 
squares  of  the  West  End  were  laid  out  in  the  days  of 
the  Georges. 

The  only  serious  damage  inflicted  by  mob  violence 
at  this  period  was  in  the  "  !No  Popery,"  or  "  Gordon 
Riots  "  of  1780.  Lord  George  Gordon  was  elected 

17 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

president  of  the  Protestant  Association  of  London 
and  headed  a  mob  of  about  100,000  people  to  present 
a  petition  to  Parliament  against  the  removal  of  cer- 
tain penalties  and  disabilities  to  which  Roman  Cath- 
olics were  subject.  In  a  fiery  speech,  he  excited  his 
followers,  who  immediately  began  to  riot,  pillage  and 
destroy.  During  the  disorders  which  lasted  for  sev- 
eral days,  Newgate  prison  was  destroyed  and  the 
prisoners  set  free.  The  mansion  of  Lord  Mansfield, 
the  Chief  Justice,  and  other  private  dwellings  as 
well  as  many  Roman  Catholic  chapels  were  also  de- 
stroyed. 

Since  that  date,  London  has  been  comparatively 
free  from  mob  excesses,  though  in  1848  defensive 
measures  were  taken  against  a  threatened  attack  by 
the  Chartists.  The  mob  met  south  of  the  river,  how- 
ever; and  was  prevented  from  returning  to  London 
by  strong  guards  at  the  bridges;  so  nothing  came 
of  it. 

The  city  of  London  ruled  by  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
Aldermen  covers  an  area  of  a  little  more  than  one 
square  mile :  its  resident  population  is  about  25,000. 
The  County  of  London,  administered  by  the  London 
County  Council,  constituted  by  Act  of  Parliament  in 
1888,  has  an  area  of  74,839  acres  with  a  population 
of  more  than  four  and  a  half  millions.  This  does 
not  include  any  part  of  Essex,  into  which  London 
now  extends  for  many  miles.  The  population  of 
Greater  London  approaches  seven  millions,  dwelling 
in  about  nine  hundred  thousand  houses.  It  is  said 
that  in  London  there  are  more  Irish  than  in  Dublin, 

18 


The  City  of  London 

more  Scotch  than  in  Aberdeen,  more  Jews  than  in 
Palestine  and  more  Roman  Catholics  than  in  Rome. 

The  best  way  to  get  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  Lon- 
don is  to  go  up  the  Thames.  The  river  flows  through 
the  heart  of  the  great  city,  and  from  it  we  can  see 
many  of  the  buildings  and  sites  of  historic  interest. 

Starting  therefore  at  Woolwich,  the  north  shore  is 
chiefly  important  for  the  extensive  Victoria  and 
Albert  Docks.  South  Woolwich  contains  the  Royal 
Arsenal  and  the  Royal  Military  Academy  for  the 
training  of  cadets  for  the  Artillery  and  Engineers. 

Next  comes  Greenwich,  with  the  Hospital,  Park 
and  Observatory. 

If  we  had  time,  we  could  stroll  through  Green- 
wich Park  and  see  its  superb  old  trees  and  beautiful 
flower-gardens ;  but  we  must  hasten  on  our  way.  The 
Hospital  that  we  pass  was  built  by  William  III.  for 
the  care  of  the  sailors  wounded  at  the  battle  of  La 
Hogue ;  and  stands  on  the  site  of  Greenwich  Palace, 
where  Henry  VIII.  and  his  daughters,  Mary  and 
Elizabeth,  were  born;  and  which  was  the  scene  of 
many  brilliant  entertainments  and  historical  events. 
There  is  a  Naval  Museum  here  in  which  many  inter- 
esting relics  are  preserved.  The  "  Whitebait  Din- 
ners," for  which  Greenwich  used  to  be*  famous,  took 
place  at  the  Ship.  Close  by  the  Ship  is  the  entrance 
to  Greenwich  Tunnel,  opened  for  foot-passengers  in 
1892.  This,  with  Blackwell  Tunnel  and  Thames 
Tunnel,  is  the  only  means  of  crossing  the  river  except 
by  boat  till  we  reach  the  Tower  Bridge. 

What  strikes  us  about  this  part  of  the  river  is  its 
19 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

commercial  activity,  and  the  banks  we  notice,  too,  are 
lined  with  wharves  and  warehouses.  At  Limehouse, 
our  boat  enters  the  Pool,  where  it  has  to  pick  its 
way  among  boats  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  which 
have  come  from  every  port  in  the  world.  We  are 
now  in  the  very  heart  of  the  wonderful  commerce  of 
the  British  Empire,  and  realize  that  the  old  nickname 
"  City  of  Masts  "  was  most  truthfully  given  to  Lon- 
don. All  along  our  way,  too,  we  have  been  passing 
the  great  docks,  catching  glimpses  of  huge  warehouses 
and  masts  of  shipping.  These,  however,  by  no  means 
constitute  the  whole  of  the  docks  of  the  Port  of  Lon- 
don. The  lowest  down  the  river  are  the  Tilbury 
Docks. 

The  only  features  of  the  banks  for  some  distance 
are  docks  and  warehouses.  Along  the  north  shore 
from  the  West  India  Dock  Pier  to  St.  Katharine's 
Docks  is  the  riverside  district  of  East  London.  The 
whole  district  is  very  squalid  but  very  cosmopolitan. 
Men  of  all  nations  are  seen  in  the  streets,  and  Lime- 
house  Causeway  is  the  centre  of  the  Chinese  settle- 
ment. 

Soon  after  leaving  Limehouse  Pier,  we  pass  the 
entrance  to  Limehouse  Dock,  and  the  Regent's  Canal, 
which,  with  its  connections,  extends  to  Liverpool. 

Shadwell  Church  marks  the  eastern  entrance  to  the 
London  Docks,  begun  in  1800. 

Rotherhithe  now  lines  the  south  bank  for  some  dis- 
tance. Swift  makes  it  the  home  of  his  famous  Gul- 
liver. Here  is  the  Thames  Tunnel.  It  never  paid 
as  a  footway,  and  is  now  used  exclusively  by  trains. 

20 


The  City  of  London 

The  Tunnel  Pier  is  in  Wapping,  where  are  also 
the  London  Docks.  Behind  the  latter  is  the  notorious 
Ratcliffe  Highway  (now  St.  George  Street),  with  its 
innumerable  rum  shops.  ISFext  comes  the  old  Execu- 
tion Dock  where  pirates  were  executed — Captain 
Kidd,  among  others,  in  1701.  They  were  hanged 
at  low  tide,  and  left  there  until  three  tides  had 
washed  over  them. 

The  district  on  the  south  side  is  Bermondsey,  fa- 
mous in  olden  times  for  its  abbey  and  its  market- 
garden  and  mill-streams;  but  the  gardens  have  dis- 
appeared under  the  buildings  and  the  streams  are 
now  sewers.  Bermondsey'  is  a  very  busy  place  now ; 
and  is  the  centre  of  the  leather  trade.  The  western 
portion  of  Bermondsey  fronting  the  river  was  for- 
merly a  very  squalid  place,  and  the  many  ditches 
there  formed  what  was  called  Jacob's  Island.  Dick- 
ens describes  it  in  "  Oliver  Twist "  and  makes  it  the 
scene  of  Sikes's  death. 

Behind  the  tall  warehouses  on  the  north  bank  just 
before  we  reach  the  Tower  Bridge  are  St.  Katharine's 
Docks.  It  was  a  mean  and  dirty  district;  and  a 
church,  hospital  and  1,250  houses  were  demolished 
to  provide  the  twenty-three  acros  now  occupied  by  the 
docks. 

The  Tower  Bridge  was  begun  in  1886.  The  cen- 
tral span  consists  of  drawbridges  that  can  be  raised 
to  allow  big  ships  to  pass.  Immediately  to  the  west 
on  the  north  bank  is  the  Tower  of  London,  with  its 
Traitors'  Gate. 

"  As  to  length  of  days,  the  Tower  has  no  rival 
21 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

among  palaces  and  prisons.  Old  writers  date  it  from 
the  days  of  Caesar ;  a  legend  taken  up  by  Shakespeare 
and  the  poets,  in  favor  of  which  the  name  of  Caesar's 
Tower  remains  in  popular  use  to  this  very  day.  A 
Roman  wall  can  even  yet  be  traced  near  some  parts  of 
the  ditch.  The  buildings  as  we  have  them  now  in 
block  and  plan  were  commenced  by  William  the  Con- 
queror ;  and  the  series  of  apartments  in  Caesar's  Tower, 
— hall,  gallery,  council-chamber,  chapel — were  built 
in  the  early  Norman  reigns,  and  used  as  a  royal 
residence  by  all  our  Norman  kings. 

"  From  the  reign  of  Stephen  down  to  that  of  Henry 
of  Richmond,  CaBsar's  Tower  (the  great  Norman 
keep,  now  called  the  White  Tower)  was  a  main  part 
of  the  royal  palace.  Here  were  kept  the  royal  ward- 
robe and  the  royal  jewels ;  and  hither  came  with  their 
goodly  wares  the  tiremen,  the  goldsmiths,  the  chasers, 
and  embroiderers  from  Flanders,  Italy  and  Almaigne. 
Close  by  were  the  Mint,  the  lions'  dens,  the  old 
archery-grounds,  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  the  Queen's  Gardens,  the 
royal  banqueting-hall ;  so  that  art  and  trade,  science 
and  manners,  literature  and  law,  sport  and  politics 
find  themselves  equally  at  home."  l 

The  Tower,  which  is  now  a  government  arsenal 
and  fortress,  occupies  thirteen  acres,  surrounded  by  a 
double  line  of  walls  strengthened  with  towers.  These 
are  called  the  Outer  Ward  and  the  Inner  Ward ;  and 
in  the  centre  stands  conspicuously  the  great  White 
Tower.  The  Inner  Ward  was  the  royal  quarter,  to 

1  William  Hepworth  Dixon. 
22 


The  City  of  London 

•which  the  people  had  no  right  of  entry ;  to  the  Outer 
Ward  the  people  had  free  access.  There  are  four 
entrances:  the  Lions'  Gate  on  the  west  near  the  old 
menagerie ;  the  Iron  Gate ;  the  Water  Gate ;  and  the 
Traitors'  Gate  on  the  Thames. 

"  All  personages  coming  to  the  Tower  in  honor 
were  landed  at  the  Queen's  Stair ;  all  personages  com- 
ing in  disgrace  were  pushed  through  the  Traitors' 
Gate.  Now  a  royal  barge,  with  a  queen  on  board, 
was  going  forth  in  her  bravery  of  gold  and  pennons ; 
now  a  lieutenant's  boat,  returning  with  a  culprit  in 
the  stern,  a  headsman  standing  at  his  side,  holding  in 
his  hand  the  fatal  axe.  Beneath  this  arch  has  moved 
a  long  procession  of  our  proudest  poets,  our  fairest 
women,  our  bravest  soldiers,  our  wittiest  poets — 
Buckingham  and  Strafford,  Lady  Jane  Grey,  the 
Princess  Elizabeth,  William  Wallace,  David  Bruce, 
Surrey,  Raleigh — names  in  which  the  splendor,  po- 
etry and  sentiment  of  our  national  story  are  em- 
balmed. Most  of  them  left  it  high  in  rank  and  rich 
in  life,  to  return  by  the  same  dark  passage  in  a  few 
hours,  poorer  than  the  beggars  who  stood  shivering 
on  the  bank ;  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  and  in  the  words 
of  their  fellows,  already  dead"  1 

Amid  the  old  gray-turreted  walls,  black  gates  and 
emerald  green  of  the  grass  and  leafy  trees,  the  pictur- 
esque scarlet  and  black  costumes  of  the  Yeomen  of  the 
Guard  or  Beef-eaters  (a  costume  dating  from  the 
institution  of  these  Warders  by  Henry  VII.)  appear 
to  great  advantage. 

1  William  Hepworth  Dixon. 
23 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Entering  by  the  Lions'  Gate,  we  pass  over  by  means 
of  a  bridge  the  Moat  that  is  now  dry  and  turned  into 
a  garden,  to  the  Byeward  Tower,  and  hasten  to  the 
famous  White  Tower,  the  most  ancient  part  of  the 
fortress.  The  walls  which  are  surmounted  with  tur- 
rets at  each  corner  are  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  feet 
thick,  and  beneath  a  staircase  in  the  wall,  which  we 
ascend,  were  found  the  bones  of  the  two  young  princes 
murdered  by  their  uncle  Richard  III.  In  the  dun- 
geons among  others  Guy  Fawkes  was  confined.  On 
the  first  floor,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was  imprisoned  for 
twelve  years ;  and  here  he  wrote  his  "  History  of  the 
World  " ;  above,  on  the  next  floor,  is  the  Chapel  of  St. 
John,  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  early  Norman 
architecture  in  England.  On  the  next  floor  is  the 
Council  Room  where  Richard  II.  abdicated ;  and  the 
Banqueting  Hall  where  the  Kings  of  England  used 
to  hold  their  Court.  Here  at  the  present  time  is  ex- 
hibited the  wonderful  collection  of  armor,  including 
equestrian  figures  and  foot  soldiers  placed  in  chron- 
ological order  from  the  time  of  Edward  I.  (1272)  to 
that  of  James  II.  (1688).  There  are  also  numerous 
weapons,  saddles  and  helmets;  and  the  walls  and 
ceilings  are  covered  with  trophies  of  weapons  marvel- 
lously arranged  in  the  form  of  stars,  coats-of-arms, 
and  flowers.  Among  the  latter  is  a  large  passion  flow- 
er, the  petals  of  which  are  formed  by  sabres  and  the 
centre  by  pistols. 

The  Armories  and  the  Crown  Jewels  are  the  only 
sights,  as  a  rule,  shown  to  visitors.  The  latter  are 
now  in  the  Record  or  Wakefield  Tower. 

24 


The  City  of  London 

The  twelve  towers  of  the  Inner  Ward  have  all  been 
used  as  prisons ;  and  every  stone  has  a  dark  story  to 
tell.  The  sons  of  Edward  IV.  are  said  to  have  beeit 
murdered  in  the  Bloody  Tower;  Elizabeth  is  said  to 
have  been  imprisoned  in  the  Bell  Tower;  and  Lady 
Jane  Grey  in  the  Brick  Tower.  Henry  VI.  is  thought 
to  have  been  murdered  in  the  Record  or  Wakefield 
Tower.  The  Beef-eater  who  accompanies  us  will  tell 
us  all  the  legends  and  haunted  spots ;  but  let  us  stop 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  parade  at  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Peter  ad  Vincula,  dating  from  1305-6,  in 
whose  little  churchyard  many  notable  personages 
were  buried  and  in  front  of  which  persons  of  rank 
were  beheaded.  Upon  a  stone  here  we  read :  "  Site 
of  the  ancient  scaffold.  On  this  spot  Queen  Anne 
Boleyn  was  beheaded,  May  19,  1536." 

No  monuments  mark  the  graves  of  the  illustrious 
victims  buried  within  the  church,  which  include  Anne 
Boleyn,  Katherine  Howard,  Lady  Jane  Grey,  Guild- 
ford  Dudley,  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  the  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk, the  Earl  of  Essex,  the  Countess  of  Salisbury 
and  many  others. 

Tower  Hill  skirts  the  Tower.  A  plate  in  Trinity 
Square  Gardens  now  marks  the  place  of  the  scaffold 
on  which  so  much  of  the  best  blood  in  England  was 
shed.  Among  the  political  offenders  who  lost  their 
heads  here  may  be  mentioned  Sir  Simon  Burley, 
Knight  of  the  Garter,  Sir  Thomas  More,  the  Protector 
Somerset,  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  the  Earl  of  Strafford, 
Archbishop  Laud,  Algernon  Sidney,  and  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth.  The  last  execution  was  that  of  Lord 

25 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Lovat,  in  1747,  for  his  part  in  the  second  Jacobite 
Rebellion. 

On  Tower  Hill,  also,  William  Penn  was  born,  and 
the  poet  Otway  died.  On  the  western  side  of  the  Hill 
is  a  fragment  of  the  old  Roman  wall.  Here  also  is 
situated  the  Royal  Mint. 

Beneath  the  river,  from  Tower  Hill  to  Tooley 
Street,  runs  the  Tower  Subway,  a  tunnel,  sixty  feet 
deep,  constructed  in  1869-70  for  foot  passengers  only. 

The  large  building  with  a  broad  quay  in  front  that 
we  next  reach  is  the  Custom  House,  built  in  1814- 
17,  the  fourth  Custom  House  erected  on  or  near  this 
site.  The  first  of  which  there  is  any  record  dates 
from  1385.  The  building  to  the  west  of  the  Custom 
House  is  Billingsgate  Market,  the  great  Fish  Market. 
It  opens  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  is  most 
interesting  and  characteristic  in  the  early  hours. 

Warehouses  and  wharves  fill  the  bank  from  here 
to  London  Bridge:  over  them  peep  the  spire  of  St. 
Mary  Magnus  and  the  tall  Monument. 

Opposite  St  Botolph's  wharf,  a  bridge  has  always 
existed  since  the  first  record  of  wooden  piles  being 
driven  there  in  994.  During  the  next  two  centuries 
the  wooden  bridge  was  thrice  renewed.  The  first 
"  stone  bridge  with  buildings  on  it "  was  constructed 
in  1209.  There  were  nineteen  arches  in  old  London 
Bridge.  The  seventeenth  towards  the  Surrey  shore 
had  a  drawbridge,  a  chapel  and  a  gateway,  over  which 
traitors'  heads  were  impaled. 

London  Bridge  has  been  the  scene  of  many  stirring 
events.  In  1212,  three  thousand  people  were  im- 

26 


The  City  of  London 

prisoned  on  it  by  flames  and  burnt  to  death.  Fifty 
years  later,  De  Montfort  repulsed  Henry  III.  here, 
and  the  Londoners  attacked  the  Queen's  barge'  as  she 
was  trying  to  get  through  one  of  the  arches.  It  was 
traitorously  opened  to  Wat  Tyler's  rabble  in  1381. 
A  few  years  later,  a  Scotch  and  an  English  knight 
tilted  on  the  bridge  before  the  King  and  Court. 

In  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  fine  houses  and 
other  buildings  adorned  with  gardens  and  arbors  on 
their  flat  roofs  lined  it  on  both  sides.  l^ear  the  draw- 
bridge stood  "  Nonsuch  House/'  four  stories  high, 
built  of  wood,  "  made  in  Holland,  marvellously  carved 
and  gilt."  "  As  fine  as  London  Bridge  "  passed  into 
a  proverb. 

The  northern  bank  from  London  Bridge  to  Black- 
friars  is  picturesque  and  full  of  historic  associations. 
St.  Paul's  towers  above  the  buildings  that  occupy  the 
sites  of  old  castles,  palaces  and  inns. 

Until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  London 
Bridge  was  the  only  means  of  crossing  the  river  ex- 
cept by  boat:  therefore  the  Thames  was  London's 
great  highway.  There  was  no  footway  on  the  bridge, 
and  only  space  enough  for  two  vehicles  to  pass  one 
another,  so  that  pedestrians  had  to  dodge  in  and  out 
of  the  shop  entrances  on  either  side.  A  narrow  thor- 
oughfare between  two  lines  of  houses  was  small  ac- 
commodation for  traffic;  and  so,  the  Thames  water- 
man early  thrived  and  multiplied.  The  city  streets 
also  were  narrow,  and  often  no  better  than  quagmires, 
so  that  the  most  convenient  and  pleasant  way  to  get 
from  the  Tower,  say  to  Charing  Cross,  or  Westmin- 

27 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

ster,  was  by  water.  Bad  roads  and  bad  characters 
infesting  them  rendered  the  river  far  more  safe  and 
desirable  as  a  route  to  more  remote  places,  whenever 
available. 

The  numerous  landing-places  made  it  easy  to  take 
a  boat  for  pleasure  or  business:  there  were  over  a 
hundred  of  these  "  stairs/'  as  they  were  called,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Even  in  Eliza- 
bethan days,  the  watermen  were  more  numerous  than 
those  engaged  in  any  other  calling.  In  the  reign  of 
Queen  Anne,  also,  Strype  says :  "  There  be  40,000 
watermen  upon  the  rolls  of  the  Watermen's  Com- 
pany." 

The  Thames  from  Greenwich  to  Westminster  was 
used  greatly  for  pleasure  and  pageantry.  Picnics  and 
water  parties  were  every-day  enjoyments  of  the  Lon- 
don citizen.  By  boat  also  he  visited  the  Bear  Gardens, 
Vauxhall  and  other  places  of  entertainment  on  the 
Surrey  bank.  The  river  was  therefore  a  scene  of 
busy  life  and  animation.  Along  the  north  bank  were 
the  palaces  of  royalty  and  the  nobility,  each  with  its 
wharf  or  water  gate.  The  royal  residences  in  Tudor 
times  were  more  numerous  than  at  present,  consist- 
ing of  Greenwich,  the  Tower,  Bridewell,  Whitehall, 
Westminster,  Chelsea,  Hampton  Court  and  Windsor. 
The  magnificent  royal  barges  going  from  one  to  an- 
other, and  the  splendid  barges  of  the  visiting  nobles 
with  their  gorgeous  retinues,  were  common  sights  on 
the  river,  which  was  thus  enlivened  with  color  and 
parade. 

Great  pageants  and  ceremonies  were  also  held  on 
28 


The  City  of  London 

the  water.  Up  till  1857,  the  Lord  Mayor's  Show 
went  to  Westminster  by  water.  Ambassadors  and 
royal  princes  were  received  and  escorted  by  the  stately 
barges  of  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Companies  with  various 
"  inventions,  music  and  peals  of  ordnance."  The 
splendor  of  some  of  these  was  by  some  writers  con- 
sidered to  exceed  the  Venetian  pageants  on  the  an- 
nual occasion  of  the  espousal  of  the  Adriatic.  The 
last  pageant  of  this  nature  took  place  in  1849,  when 
the  Prince  Consort  went  down  the  river  in  state  to 
open  the  Coal  Exchange. 

In  the  old  days  sports  of  all  kinds  were  held  on 
the  water.  There  were  jousts  and  tiltings  on  boats 
with  spear  and  shield,  or  staff  and  buckler,  as  the 
boats  were  rowed  swiftly  past  one  another.  Boat  rac- 
ing among  the  watermen  was  very  common,  one  sur- 
vival of  the  contests  being  Doggett's  coat-and-badge, 
still  rowed  for.  One  of  the  favorite  jaunts  of  the 
citizens  was  a  visit  to  the  "  Folly  on  the  Thames," 
which  is  described  as  a  floating  summer-house  with 
music  situated  near  where  Waterloo  Bridge  now 
crosses. 

"  Even  when  a  hard  winter  came,  our  ancestors 
were  not  to  be  denied  their  fun  upon  the  Thames. 
For  on  January  24th,  which  lasted  from  the  begin- 
ning of  December  until  well  into  February,  Evelyn 
says  that  he  saw  on  the  frozen  river  *  bull-baiting, 
horse  and  coach  races,  puppet  plays  and  interludes, 
cookes  and  tippling  places,  so  that  it  seemed  a  bac- 
chanalian triumph.' ' 

On  the  south  bank,  London  Bridge  opens  into 
29 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Southwark,  popularly  known  as  the  Borough.  "  In 
the  Borough  there  still  remain  some  half  dozen  old 
inns  which  have  preserved  their  external  features  un- 
changed. Great  rambling,  queer  old  places,  with  gal- 
leries and  passages  and  staircases  wide  enough  and 
antiquated  enough  to  furnish  materials  for  a  hun- 
dred ghost  stories."  When  Dickens  wrote  these 
words,  the  old  Tabard  Inn  from  which  Chaucer's 
Canterbury  Pilgrims  started  on  their  journey  through 
Kent  on  that  lovely  April  morning  was  still  stand- 
ing. The  White  Hart,  a  similar  inn,  also  in  High 
Street,  mentioned  by  Shakespeare  in  Henry  VI.  and 
where  Mr.  Pickwick  found  Sam  Weller  engaged  as 
"  boots  "  was  not  pulled  down  until  1889.  The  Mar- 
shalsea  Gaol,  familiar  to  readers  of  "  Little  Dor- 
rit,"  stood  near  St.  George's  Church  at  the  corner 
of  Great  Dover  and  High  Streets. 

Behind  the  warehouses,  and  almost  directly  oppo- 
site Old  Swan  Pier,  we  see  the  square  tower  of  St. 
Saviour's,  since  1905  Southwark  Cathedral.  It  is 
one  of  the  finest  medieval  buildings  in  London. 

The  church  was  entirely  rebuilt  in  the  thirteenth 
century  largely  by  private  contribution.  The  poet 
Gower,  who  lies  in  a  fine  Gothic  tomb  within  the 
Church,  gave  largely  to  the  cause.  The  Choir  and 
Lady  Chapel  belong  to  the  early  thirteenth  century, 
but  the  nave  has  been  recently  rebuilt.  In  this  church, 
James  I.  of  Scotland,  the  Koyal  poet,  was  married  to 
Jane  Beaufort,  whom  he  saw  in  the  garden  from  his 
prison  window  at  Windsor,  as  he  describes  in  the 
"  King's  Quhair."  In  St.  Saviour's,  heretics  were 

30 


The  City  of  London 

condemned  to  the  fires  of  Smithfield  during  the  reign 
of  Bloody  Mary ;  here  John  Harvard,  the  founder  of 
Harvard  University,  was  baptized  in  1607 ;  and  here 
are  buried  John  Gower,  Philip  Massinger,  John 
Fletcher,  Edmond  Shakespeare  and  Alexander 
Cruden,  of  Concordance  fame. 

From  this  point  as  far  as  Blackfriars  Bridge 
stretches  the  district  known  as  Bankside,  celebrated 
for  its  theatres  and  other  places  of  amusement,  and 
rich  in  associations  with  Shakespeare  and  other  Eliza- 
bethan dramatists  and  actors.  The  old  Globe  Theatre, 
in  which  so  many  of  Shakespeare's  plays  were  pro- 
duced, is  supposed  to  have  stood  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  a  large  brewery.  ]Not  far  away  stood  the 
Eose  Theatre,  the  Hope  Theatre,  the  Swan  Theatre, 
and  the  Paris  Garden  Theatre.  The  latter  stood  in  a 
garden,  "  so  dark  with  trees  that  one  man  could  not 
see  another  unless  they  had  lynxes  or  cats'  eyes,"  Mr. 
Fleetwood  wrote  to  Lord  Burghley  in  1578  regarding 
the  secret  meetings  held  here  by  the  French  Ambas- 
sador and  his  agents.  The  Paris  Garden  Theatre  was 
used  almost  entirely  for  bear-and-bull  baiting.  Bear- 
and-bull  baiting  also  took  place  in  the  Bear  Gardens 
here  until  the  reign  of  William  III. 

Westward  of  Bankside  as  far  as  Westminster 
Bridge,  the  south  side  of  the  river  was  originally  a 
low  swampy  tract  called  Lambeth  Marsh  which  the 
water  covered  at  every  tide.  Until  about  a  century 
ago,  it  was  a  district  of  open  fields  and  deep  ditches 
where  a  few  unsavory  places  of  amusement  stood. 
Sinee,  however,  the  three  bridges — Blackfriars,  Wa- 

31 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

terloo  and  Westminster — were  built,  the  whole  bank 
has  been  lined  with  wharves.  The  only  object  of 
interest  here  is  the  old  shot  tower  built  soon  after 
1782. 

Leaving  London  Bridge,  the  iron  bridge  of  three 
spans  that  we  next  pass  under  leads  into  Cannon 
Street  Station.  This  was  the  site  of  the  old  Steel- 
yard, the  headquarters  in  London  of  the  Hanseatic 
League.  Then  we  come  to  two  old  wharves,  Dowgate 
and  Walbrook,  which  are  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Walbrook,  a  small  stream  that  formerly  flowed 
through  the  city  and  fell  into  the  Thames  at  this 
point. 

Next  comes  Southwark  Bridge  of  three  spans, 
which  Robert  Stevenson  described  as  an  "  example  of 
arch  construction  confessedly  unrivalled  as  regards 
its  colossal  proportions,  its  architectural  effect,  and  the 
general  simplicity  and  massive  character  of  its  de- 
tails." 

At  this  place,  in  old  days,  the  Fleet,  which  gave 
its  name  to  Fleet  Street  and  the  old  Fleet  Prison,  fell 
into  the  Thames.  It  was  variously  called  the  Fleet 
River  and  the  Hole-burn  (the  stream  in  the  hollow) 
whence  the  name  Holboro.  In  early  days  this  spot 
was  lined  with  busy  quays,  and  thronged  with  boats, 
but  gradually  it  became  a  foul  ditch,  and  silted  up, 
and  at  last  had  to  be  covered  over.  Now  it  exists 
only  as  a  sewer. 

Between  Blackfriars  and  Westminster,  the  north- 
ern bank  is  not  only  rich  in  historical  associations, 
but  is  pictorially  fine  and  imposing.  The  long,  broad 

32 


The  City  of  London 

stone  Victoria  Embankment  is  fringed  with  trees  and 
backed  with  splendid  buildings  and  occasionally  an 
ornamental  garden  where  the  public  can  enjoy  the 
trees  and  flowers  and  music  in  the  summer. 

The  old  Strand  palaces  of  the  nobility  that  stood 
here  have  been  demolished  from  time  to  time,  and  the 
ground  is  now  occupied  by  public  gardens,  govern- 
ment offices  and  other  institutions.  The  great  build- 
ing adjoining  Waterloo  Bridge  is  Somerset  House. 
It  was  first  built  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  by  the 
Protector  Somerset.  When  the  Stuarts  came  to  the 
throne,  Somerset  House  was  made  a  royal  residence, 
especially  for  the  queens.  Catherine  of  Braganza  was 
the  last  royal  personage  to  live  in  it.  Somerset  House 
was  pulled  down  in  1775  when  Buckingham  House 
(now  Palace)  was  given  to  Queen  Charlotte,  and  the 
present  edifice,  designed  by  Sir  William  Chambers, 
was  erected.  In  1828-31  the  east  wing,  King's  Col- 
lege— was  added ;  and  in  1853  the  west  wing. 

Waterloo  Bridge,  of  nine  elliptical  granite  spans, 
was  opened  in  1817 ;  it  is  considered  one  of  the  finest 
stone  bridges  in  the  world.  Canova  declared  "  it  was 
worthy  of  the  Romans."  The  Duke  of  Wellington 
was  the  first  passenger  to  cross  it. 

The  Savoy  and  Cecil  hotels  occupy  the  sites  of  old 
palaces;  and  so  does  the  Adelphi,  which  comes  next. 
On  the  edge  of  the  Embankment  here  stands  the  fa- 
mous Cleopatra's  Needle,  a  companion  to  the  one  in 
New  York. 

In  the  Victoria  Embankment  Gardens,  in  front  of 
the  Adelphi,  a  band  plays  on  summer  evenings ;  and 

33 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  gardens  are  illuminated  after  dark.  The  London 
County  Council  appoints  a  committee  to  raise  the 
musical  taste  of  the  million  by  selecting  the  pro- 
grammes from  the  best  composers. 

The  buildings  between  this  and  Charing  Cross 
Railway  Station  are  on  the  grounds  of  a  palace  that 
once  belonged  to  the  powerful  favorite  of  James  I. 
George  Street,  Villiers  Street,  Duke  Street,  and  Buck- 
ingham Street  keep  alive  his  memory.  The  old  Water 
Gate  is  in  its  original  position  on  the  north  side  of 
the  ornamental  gardens. 

The  river  takes  a  sharp  turn  at  Charing  Cross. 
The  railway  bridge  was  built  in  1860-64  to  replace 
the  Hungerford  Suspension  Bridge;  and  the  Char- 
ing Cross  Railway  Station  occupies  the  site  of  old 
Hungerford  Market.  We  are  now  approaching  West- 
minster, anciently  Thorney  (the  isle  of  brambles). 
In  the  earliest  times  a  ferry  existed  between  this  spot 
and  Lambeth,  and  thus  it  formed  a  link  in  the  old 
route  from  the  interior  of  England  to  the  Continent, 
for  people  crossed  the  ferry  and  passed  over  the  Lam- 
beth marshes  to  Blackheath. 

The  present  bridge,  which  has  seven  spans,  is  the 
widest  of  the  Thames  bridges,  and  seen  from  the  Sur- 
rey side  it  forms  a  fine  foreground  for  the  Houses  of 
Parliament. 

The  buildings  group  beautifully  at  this  point.  The 
Houses  of  Parliament  have  a  magnificent  river  front, 
940  feet  long,  embellished  with  statues  of  the  kings 
and  queens  of  England,  and  three  great  towers,  the 
Clock  Tower  (318  feet),  the  Middle  Tower  (300 

34 


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The  City  of  London 

feet)  and  the  Victoria  Tower  (340  feet).  In  the 
Clock  Tower  is  hung  the  famous  bell  called  "  Big 
Ben,"  named  for  Sir  Benjamin  Hall,  Commissioner 
of  Works.  It  weighs  thirteen  tons  and  booms  out  the 
hours,  although  it  has  long  been  cracked.  The  first 
stone  of  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  for  which  the 
architects  were  Pugin  and  Sir  Charles  Barry,  was 
laid  in  1840.  The  building  covers  eight  acres,  con- 
tains 1,100  apartments,  and  stands  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Royal  Palace.  The  public  entrance  to  the  build- 
ings is  on  the  west  side,  from  the  Old  Palace  yard, 
one  of  the  original  court-yards.  The  long,  low  struc- 
ture is  finally  relieved  by  the  towers.  Behind  the 
Houses  of  Parliament  rise  the  two  towers  of  West- 
minster Abbey,  which  comes  into  full  view  as  we 
glide  along  the  river. 

We  have  seen  nothing  on  the  opposite  bank  for 
a  long  time  but  warehouses,  etc. ;  but  at  Westminster 
Bridge  begins  the  Albert  Embankment  which  reaches 
to  Vauxhall  Bridge.  The  red  brick  building,  with 
white  stone  facings  near  Westminster  Bridge,  is  St. 
Thomas's  Hospital,  built  in  1868-71,  but  which  was 
founded  by  the  Prior  of  Bermondsey  as  an  almonry 
in  1213.  Adjoining  it  is  the  venerable  Lambeth 
Palace,  the  London  residence  of  the  Archbishops  of 
Canterbury. 

The  ancient  gray  and  white  building,  in  its  beauti- 
ful park  of  eighteen  acres,  has  a  picturesque  appear- 
ance. Although  much  of  it  has  been  restored  and 
altered,  and  the  residential  portions  only  date  from 
1830-40,  much  of  the  Palace  is  of  great  antiquity 

35 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  architectural  interest  Lambeth  Palace  was  built 
by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  1189  and  rebuilt 
in  1262.  Among  the  noteworthy  features  that  re- 
main are  the  Great  Gateway,  or  Morton's  Tower,  built 
by  Archbishop  Morton  in  1486—1502  and  one  of  the 
finest  Early  Tudor  gatehouses  in  existence;  the  Wa- 
ter Tower  built  in  1434-35,  also  called  the  Lollards' 
Tower  because  some  of  the  Lollards  are  supposed  to 
have  been  imprisoned  in  it,  and  which  contained  the 
water  gate  through  which  the  Palace  was  entered  from 
the  river;  the  Chapel,  built  in  1244-70;  Great  Hall, 
or  Juxon's  Hall,  built  in  1663 ;  and  the  Guard  Koom, 
or  Dining  Hall,  rebuilt  in  1833,  but  still  preserving 
its  original  open  roof.  Many  historical  associations 
cluster  around  Lambeth  Palace.  Here  Wycliff  was 
examined  by  bishops  regarding  his  religious  opinions ; 
here  Anne  Boleyn  learned  by  decree  that  her  mar- 
riage was  annulled;  here  came  Wat  Tyler  and  his 
rabble  to  behead  the  Archbishop  and  plunder  and 
burn  the  treasures  of  the  Palace ;  and  here  came  the 
mob  during  the  uprisings  of  the  Puritans  to  attack 
Archbishop  Laud,  who,  having  fortified  the  keep,  de- 
fended his  castle  nobly.  After  the  death  of  Charles 
I.,  one  of  the  regicides,  Colonel  Scott,  bought  it  and 
made  many  changes.  The  Library  contains  many 
books  and  MSS.  of  great  historical  interest. 

Close  by  Lambeth  Palace  stands  the  Church  of 
St.  Mary,  containing  tombs  of  several  Archbishops  of 
Canterbury.  We  now  pass  under  Lambeth  Bridge,  a 
suspension  bridge  built  in  1862-63.  Formerly  there 
was  a  ferry  here,  which  was  used  by  the  fleeing  Queen 

36 


The  City  of  London 

of  James  II.  with  her  infant  son  in  1688,  on  a  stormy 
night.  They  took  refuge  under  the  tower  of  St. 
Mary,  Lambeth. 

Returning  to  the  other  bank,  Grosvenor  Embank- 
ment now  begins.  In  this  district  was  situated  Tot- 
hill  Fields,  "  the  Smithfield  of  western  London," 
where  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time  archery,  wrestling 
and  other  sports  were  indulged  in  by  the  Yeomen 
class.  Bull  and  bear-baiting  and  cock-fighting  also 
took  place  here. 

Near  Vauxhall  Bridge,  and  occupying  part  of  the 
site  of  old  Millbank  prison,  is  the  Tate  Gallery, 
founded  by  Sir  Henry  Tate  and  opened  in  1897. 
It  is  devoted  to  modern  British  art. 

Almost  directly  opposite,  on  the  south  bank,  just 
before  we  come  to  Vauxhall  Bridge,  were  situated 
the  old  Vauxhall  Gardens,  opened  in  1660,  celebrated 
for  their  fetes,  masquerades,  fireworks,  musical  and 
dramatic  entertainments;  and  so  often  alluded  to  by 
Pepys,  Evelyn,  Horace  Walpole,  and  other  contem- 
porary writers.  They  were  not  finally  closed  until 
1859. 

The  next  bridges  that  we  pass  are  the  Pimlico  Rail- 
way Bridge  and  the  Chelsea  or  Victoria  Bridge. 
Chelsea  Bridge  marks  the  beginning  of  Chelsea  which, 
until  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  was  a  country 
village,  but  which  is  now  a  part  of  London.  The 
Chelsea  Embankment,  extending  from  the  Chelsea 
Bridge  to  Battersea  Bridge,  was  built  in  1871-74. 
The  large  building  that  stands  in  extensive  grounds 
is  Chelsea  Hospital  for  old  and  invalid  soldiers.  The 

37 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

building  was  designed  by  Sir  Christopher  "Wren. 
Next  comes  Cheyne  Walk,  a  row  of  red  brick  houses 
famous  for  their  associations.  George  Eliot  lived 
and  died  in  No.  4 ;  Rossetti,  the  poet  and  painter,  and 
Swinburne  lived  in  No.  16,  called  the  Queen's  House, 
because  it  was  the  residence  of  Catherine  of  Brag- 
anza,  the  neglected  wife  of  Charles  II. ;  the  famous 
dandy  Count  D'Orsay  lived  in  No.  19 ;  and  No.  18 
was  Don  Saltero's  Museum  and  Coffee  House,  often 
alluded  to  by  Steele,  Swift  and  others.  From  No.  18 
to  Oakley  Street  marks  the  space  occupied  by  Henry 
VIII. 's  Manor  House,  built  in  1536.  Here  Queen 
Elizabeth  spent  much  of  her  girlhood.  Thomas  Car- 
lyle  also  lived  in  Cheyne  Walk,  the  house  being  now 
a  Carlyle  museum. 

Battersea  Bridge  is  the  second  of  the  name.  The 
first  Battersea  Bridge  was  a  picturesque  old  timber 
bridge  of  nineteen  spans.  Cheyne  Walk  still  con- 
tinues along  the  north  bank  and  includes  old  Lind- 
say Row  where  Whistler  once  lived ;  and  below  these 
five  houses  the  painter  Turner  resided.  Here,  too, 
was  situated  Chelsea  Farm,  the  home  of  the  religious 
Lady  Huntingdon,  which  subsequently  became  Cre- 
morne  House  and  later  Cremorne  Gardens,  a  well- 
known  place  of  amusement.  Nothing  has  attracted 
our  attention  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  since 
we  left  Lambeth,  but  now  Battersea  Park  comes  into 
view.  This  was  formerly  Battersea  Fields,  where 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  when  Prime  Minister,  fought 
a  duel  with  the  Earl  of  Winchelsea  in  1829. 

Battersea,  Wands  worth  and  Putney  (also  on  the 
38 


The  City  of  London 

south  bank),  were  once  separate  rural  villages;  but 
are  now  absorbed  into  London.  The  monotony  of  the 
other  side  of  the  river  beyond  Wandsworth  Bridge, 
opened  in  1873,  is  occasionally  broken  by  handsome 
houses  and  grounds,  one  of  which  is  Hurlingham 
House,  built  in  1760,  now  the  headquarters  of  a  club 
devoted  to  polo,  tennis,  archery,  etc.  Farther  along 
comes  Mulgrave  House,  built  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century  and  resided  in  by  various  notable 
tenants;  and  then  comes  Fulham,  famous  for  its  lit- 
erary associations.  The  old  Gothic  Tower  of  All 
Saints  Church  (96  feet  high),  immediately  west  of 
Putney  (or  Fulham)  Bridge,  dates  from  1440;  but 
the  church  has  been  rebuilt. 

Behind  Fulham  Park  stands  Fulham  Palace,  the 
official  residence  of  the  Bishops  of  London,  an  old 
Tudor  building  of  red  and  black  bricks,  the  best  por- 
tions of  which  are  the  Gothic  Tower,  the  Great  Hall, 
Bishop  Tait's  Chapel  (modern),  and  the  Porteous 
Library.  The  old  barn  is  nearly  four  centuries  old, 
and  the  gardens  are  notable. 

Piers  and  wharves  now  mark  the  site  of  villas  with 
gardens  that  once  lined  the  bank  until  we  reach  busy 
Hammersmith,  once  famous  for  its  market-gardens, 
dairy-farms,  orchards  and  fine  residences.  Beyond 
Hammersmith  Bridge  and  Pier  appears  the  first  of 
the  small  islands  that  mark  the  upper  Thames,  Chis- 
wick  Eyot.  We  will  now  return  and  land  at  West- 
minster. 

The  first  Palace  of  Westminster  was  built  by  King 
Canute,  and  was  burned  down  in  the  reign  of  Edward 

39 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  Confessor,  who  erected  another  in  which  he  died. 
Here  the  Kings  of  England  resided  until  Henry 
VIII.  removed  to  Whitehall.  The  Palace  was 
burned  in  1834.  The  only  portions  that  escaped  the 
flames  were  Westminster  Hall  and  St.  Stephen's 
Crypt. 

Westminster  Hall  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  in- 
teresting "buildings  in  London.  The  first  hall  was 
built  by  William  Rufus  in  1097,  and  was  almost  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  fire  in  1291.  It  was  restored  in 
1398,  by  Richard  II.,  who  gave  it  the  fine  oak  roof. 
The  hall  is  290  feet  long,  68  feet  broad  and  92  feet 
high,  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest  room  in  the  world 
unsupported  by  pillars.  From  the  days  of  William 
Rufus,  Coronation  banquets  were  always  held  in  this 
Hall,  which  has  witnessed  so  many  great  scenes. 
Some  of  the  earliest  councils  and  parliaments  were 
held  here,  and  also  royal  courts  of  justice.  In  West- 
minster Hall,  Edward  III.  received  the  Black  Prince 
after  the  Battle  of  Poitiers;  here  Richard  II.  was 
deposed ;  here  Oliver  Cromwell  was  inaugurated  Lord 
Protector;  here  were  held  the  Trial  of  the  Seven 
Bishops,  and  the  trial  of  Warren  Hastings ;  and  here 
Sir  Thomas  More,  Sir  Thomas  Wyat,  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  the  Earl  of  Essex,  the  Protector  Somerset, 
Charles  I.,  Guy  Fawkes  and  the  Earl  of  StrafFord 
were  condemned  to  death. 

From  1547  to  1834,  the  House  of  Commons  used 
St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  which  was  built  by  King  Steph- 
en, and  rebuilt  by  Edward  I.  and  Edward  II.  The 
Crypt  only  remains.  The  name,  however,  survives, 

40 


The  City  of  London 

in  St.  Stephen's  Porch  and  St.  Stephen's  Hall, 
through  which  we  pass  to  enter  the  Octagon  Hall. 
On  the  right  of  the  latter  is  the  House  of  Lords,  and 
on  the  left  the  House  of  Commons. 

Westminster  Abbey  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  Latin 
cross  with  twelve  chapels  beyond  the  arms  or  tran- 
sept. It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  churches  in 
the  world.  Columns  and  arches  of  noble  proportions, 
marvellous  carvings,  shadowy  aisles,  and  the  soft 
light  from  old  stained-glass  windows  give  an  impres- 
sion of  solemn  beauty  that  is  never  forgotten. 

According  to  tradition,  Sebert,  King  of  the  East 
Saxons,  who  died  in  616,  erected  a  church  here  that 
was  dedicated  to  St.  Peter.  This,  having  fallen  into 
ruin,  was  rebuilt  and  restored  by  King  Edgar,  who 
also  founded  here  a  Benedictine  monastery.  The 
present  Westminster  Abbey  had  its  "origin  with  Ed- 
ward the  Confessor.  The  church  was  consecrated  on 
December  28,  1065,  a  week  before  the  King's  death. 

Nothing  remains  of  it  but  the  Chapel  of  the  Pyx. 
Near  the  South  Transept,  the  lower  walls  of  the 
South  Cloister,  and  part  of  the  Refectory.  Henry 
III.  built  the  Confessor's  Chapel,  the  side  aisles  and 
their  chapels,  and  the  choir  and  transepts.  Edward 
I.  made  other  additions;  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
III.  the  Jerusalem  Chamber  was  added ;  and  Henry 
VII.  pulled  down  the  Lady  Chapel  and  built  his  own 
beautiful  addition. 

Westminster  Abbey  has  been  the  burial-place  of 
England's  great  dead  for  more  than  eight  centuries. 
Kings,  queens  and  other  members  of  royal  families 

41 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

lie  in  what  Macaulay  calls  "  this  great  temple  of 
silence  and  reconciliation."  The  famous  Poet's  Cor- 
ner, containing  tombs  and  monuments  to  many  of 
England's  great  men  of  letters,  is  situated  in  the 
South  Transept.  It  is  crowded  with  busts,  monu- 
ments and  tablets  on  the  walls  and  floor. 

To  see  the  tombs  of  Chaucer  and  Edmund  Spenser 
is  an  experience  that  is  not  soon  forgotten.  Many 
tombs  and  monuments  to  warriors  and  statesmen  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  North  Transept ;  and  all  the  chapels 
contain  a  goodly  stone  population: 

"  I  wandered  among  what  once  were  chapels,  but 
which  are  now  occupied  by  the  tombs  and  monuments 
of  the  great.  At  every  turn,  I  met  with  some  illus- 
trious name,  or  the  cognizance  of  some  powerful 
house  renowned  in  history.  As  the  eye  darts  into 
these  dusky  chambers  of  death,  it  catches  glimpses  of 
quaint  effigies:  some  kneeling  in  niches  as  if  in  de- 
votion; others  stretched  upon  the  tombs,  with  hands 
piously  pressed  together;  warriors  in  armour,  as  if 
reposing  after  battle;  prelates,  with  croziers  and 
mitres;  and  nobles  in  robes  and  coronets,  lying  as  it 
were  in  State.  In  glancing  over  this  scene,  so 
strangely  populous,  yet  where  every  form  is  so  still 
and  silent,  it  seems  almost  as  if  we  were  treading  a 
mansion  of  that  fabled  city,  where  every  being  had 
been  suddenly  transmuted  into  stone."  l 

The  tomb  of  Sebert,  King  of  the  East  Saxons, 

616,  and  his  Queen  Ethelgoda,  is  the  oldest  in  the 

Abbey.     In  Edward  the  Confessor's  Chapel,  behind 

i  Washington  Irving. 

42 


The  City  of  London 

the  High  Altar,  is  his  shrine,  which  was  erected  in 
1269  by  Henry  III. ;  also  the  tombs  of  Edward  I. ; 
Queen  Eleanor ;  Henry  III. ;  Edward  III. ;  Queen 
Philippa ;  and  Eichard  III.  Here  too  are  preserved 
the  two  Coronation  Chairs,  one  of  which  contains  the 
Stone  of  Scone,  brought  from  Scone  Abbey  by  Ed- 
ward I.  This  stone  was  reputed  to  be  the  one  on 
which  Jacob  laid  his  head  at  Bethel,  and  it  served  as 
a  seat  for  the  Kings  of  Scotland  at  their  coronation. 
Since  Edward  I.  brought  it  to  England,  every  Eng- 
lish monarch  sat  above  it  during  his  coronation. 
Every  English  sovereign  from  Harold  the  Dane  to 
King  Edward  VII.  has  been  crowned  in  Westminster 
Abbey. 

Of  all  the  chapels,  that  of  Henry  VII.  is  the  most 
beautiful.  It  is  practically  a  church,  consisting  of  a 
nave,  two  aisles  and  five  chapels  at  the  east  end.  In 
the  nave  are  the  marvellously  carved  stalls  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Bath,  above  which  droop  their  faded 
and  dusty  banners.  The  whole  chapel,  which  has 
been  described  as  "  the  miracle  of  the  world,"  is  a 
mass  of  wonderful  carving,  and  the  pillars  that  sup- 
port the  roof  are  the  best  examples  of  what  is  called 
"  fan-shaped  tracery,"  while  the  roof  itself  is  fretted 
with  all  the  delicacy  and  skill  of  a  spider's  web. 
Here  stand  the  tombs  of  the  founder,  Henry  VII. 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  of  York ;  and  here  lie  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  her  victim,  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots. 
Queen  Anne  also  sleeps  here. 

On  the  east  side  of  Westminster  are  St.  Stephen's 
Cloisters,  built  by  Henry  VIII. ;  and  on  the  west 

43 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

side  is  St.  Margaret's,  the  parish  church  of  Westmin- 
ster, and  the  especial  church  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. It  was  founded  by  Edward  the  Confessor; 
and  contains  some  beautiful  carvings,  and  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  old  windows  in  England,  ordered  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  in  Gouda  as  a  gift  to  the  new 
chapel  that  Henry  VII.  was  building  in  honor  of  the 
marriage  of  his  son  with  their  daughter  Katherine. 
The  beautiful  west  window  was  presented  in  1882  by 
Americans  as  a  memorial  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who 
was  beheaded  in  front  of  Westminster  Palace  and 
buried  under  the  altar  of  St.  Margaret's.  On  the 
window  is  an  inscription  by  James  Russell  Lowell. 

St.  Margaret's  contains  many  fine  tombs  of  per- 
sonages connected  with  Elizabethan  and  Jacobean 
history. 

From  Westminster  by  way  of  Parliament  Street 
and  Whitehall  we  reach  Charing  Cross.  This  district 
is  now  occupied  by  Government  Offices.  In  old  days, 
the  road  now  called  Whitehall  was  bordered  by  the 
buildings  and  grounds  of  the  Palace  of  Whitehall, 
which  was  originally  the  town  residence  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  York,  and  therefore  called  York  House. 
When  Henry  VIII.  obtained  possession  of  it,  the 
name  was  changed  to  Whitehall. 

Here  many  interesting  events  took  place.  Henry 
VIII.  died  in  Whitehall ;  from  Whitehall,  Elizabeth 
was  carried  as  prisoner  to  the  Tower ;  and  to  White- 
hall she  returned  as  Queen  of  England ;  at  Whitehall 
Charles  I.  was  beheaded;  here  Cromwell  lived  with 
his  secretary,  John  Milton,  and  here  Cromwell  died ; 

44 


The  City  of  London 

here  also  Charles  II.  held  his  court ;  and  here  he  died 
in  1685.  After  Whitehall  was  burned,  in  1697,  St. 
James's  Palace  became  the  royal  residence.  At  pres- 
ent, only  the  Banqueting  Hall,  built  by  James  I.,  re- 
mains ;  and  it  was  from  an  opening  made  in  the  wall 
between  the  central  windows  that  Charles  I.  stepped 
on  to  the  scaffold  that  had  been  specially  erected  in 
the  street  below. 

Here  stands  the  Horse-Guards,  the  office  of  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  originally  the 
guard-house  of  the  Palace. 

Behind  the  Horse-Guards  lies  St.  James's  Park, 
bounded  by  the  Mall  and  Birdcage  Walk,  leading  to 
Buckingham  Palace. 

It  contains  ninety-one  acres  and  is  a  beautiful  spot 
with  its  green  grass,  fine  trees,  winding  walks  and  sil- 
very lake,  the  home  of  many  aquatic  birds  of  lovely 
plumage. 

The  grounds  and  buildings  of  Buckingham  Palace 
occupy  about  forty-three  acres.  At  the  back  of  the 
Palace  lie  the  gardens,  which  are  separated  by  a  road, 
called  Constitution  Hill,  from  Green  Park,  which 
contains  sixty  acres.  Hyde  Park,  being  the  central 
point  of  the  district  in  which  royalty  and  the  nobil- 
ity and  gentry  reside,  is  the  haunt  of  wealth  and 
fashion.  Park  Lane  skirts  the  east  end,  and  May- 
fair  and  Clubdom  are  at  hand.  Hyde  Park  Corner, 
therefore,  is  the  entrance  the  visitor  always  seeks  in 
order  to  see  swell  London,  on  parade. 

On  entering  the  Park,  two  roads  on  the  left  lead 
to  Kensington  Gardens.  One  is  the  Carriage  Koad 

45 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  the  other  Rotten  Row  (probably  Route  du  Roi, 
the  King's  Road),  London's  fashionable  ride,  a  mile 
and  a  half  long.  Early  in  the  morning  people  ride 
there  for  exercise ;  at  one  o'clock,  chiefly  for  parade ; 
but  after  luncheon,  the  Row  is  deserted.  North 
of  Rotten  Row  lies  the  Serpentine,  a  pretty  lake 
made  at  the  instance  and  cost  of  Queen  Caroline,  wife 
of  George  II.  The  Serpentine  is  a  famous  racing 
place  for  model  yachts,  and  occasionally  in  the  win- 
ter affords  good  skating.  Beyond  the  Serpentine  is  a 
road  called  the  Ring  and  the  Ladies'  Mile.  A  bridge 
separates  the  Serpentine  from  the  Long  Water  in 
Kensington  Gardens;  and  beyond  the  bridge  is  the 
Powder  Magazine,  the  starting  place  for  London's 
Eour-in-Hand  and  Coaching  Clubs  during  the  sea- 
son. Kensington  Gardens  (210  acres)  adjoins  Hyde 
Park.  Here  stands  Kensington  Palace,  brought  by 
William  III.  from  the  Earl  of  Nottingham.  Queen 
Anne  died  here  and  here  Queen  Victoria  was  born. 
To  the  south  of  Hyde  Park  and  Kensington  Gardens 
is  South  Kensington,  with  its  famous  Institutes  and 
Museums. 

Kensington  Gardens  and  Hyde  Park  are  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  Bayswater  Road.  At  the  Marble 
Arch,  Edgeware  Road,  and  Park  Lane,  Oxford  Street 
begins;  and,  with  its  continuations — Holborn  and 
Newgate  Street — runs  eastwards  to  the  general  Post 
Office,  at  the  top  of  Cheapside. 

On  the  way  down  Oxford  Street  we  turn  down 
Duke  Street,  which  takes  us  into  Manchester  Square, 
where  stands  Hertford  House,  the  present  home  of 

46 


The  City  of  London 

the  famous  Wallace  Collection  of  pictures,  furniture, 
etc.  Farther  on  we  come  to  Great  Russell  Street, 
which  will  take  us  to  the  British  Museum,  with  its 
great  library  and  its  collections  of  Greek,  Roman, 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  sculptures  and  Greek  and 
Etruscan  vases. 

Oxford  and  Holborn  Streets  form  an  important 
shopping  thoroughfare.  The  only  important  relics  of 
the  past  are  St.  Sepulchre's  Church  and  the  remains 
of  Christ's  Hospital  (Bluecoat  School)  in  Newgate 
Street. 

The  bells  of  St.  Sepulchre's  always  used  to  toll 
during  a  public  hanging.  This  church  was  injured, 
but  not  destroyed,  by  the  Great  Eire;  and,  conse- 
quently, some  of  the  old  building  is  left.  In  St. 
Sepulchre's,  Captain  John  Smith,  once  Governor  of 
Virginia,  is  buried.  It  used  to  be  the  custom  to 
present  criminals  on  their  way  to  execution  with  a 
nosegay  from  the  steps  of  St.  Sepulchre's;  for  the 
church  had  for  its  neighbour  the  old  Newgate 
Prison. 

Near  St.  Sepulchre's  Church,  up  Giltspur  Street, 
is  Pye  Corner,  where  the  Great  Fire  ended.  Beyond 
it  is  Cock  Lane,  the  scene  of  the  Cock  Lane  Ghost 
that  excited  all  London  in  1762.  Beyond  Giltspur 
Street  lies  Smithfield,  just  beyond  the  City  wall,  the 
scene  of  tournaments,  fairs  and  recreations.  Here, 
too,  during  the  reign  of  Bloody  Mary,  the  Protestant 
martyrs  were  burned.  The  stake  was  placed  opposite 
the  gate  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Priory ;  and  many 
charred  human  bones  were  dug  up  at  this  spot  during 

47 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

some  excavations  in  1849.  Here,  too,  was  the  scene 
of  the  famous  Bartholomew  Fair,  dating  from  the 
reign  of  Henry  I.,  which  used  to  last  for  a  fortnight, 
with  its  shows  of  dancing  dogs  and  bears,  morris- 
dancers,  wild  beasts,  monstrosities,  etc.  Smithfield 
Market  for  the  sale  of  cattle  once  included  nearly  all 
of  Smithfield ;  but  now  two  smaller  markets  for  fruit 
and  fish  extend  to  Farringdon  Street.  The  fine  old 
church  of  St  Bartholomew  the  Great  is  part  of  the 
old  priory  of  St.  Bartholomew,  founded  in  1102  by 
Rahere,  the  King's  minstrel,  who  became  a  monk, 
and  was  its  first  prior.  St  Bartholomew's  Hospital, 
originally  a  part  of  the  Priory,  was  also  spared  by 
the  Great  Fire,  but  was  rebuilt  by  Gibbs  in  1730.  It 
is  now  one  of  England's  most  important  schools  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  !Near  the  Priory  of  St  Bar- 
tholomew, Wat  Tyler,  at  the  head  of  the  rebels,  was 
slain  by  the  Mayor  of  London. 

Returning  now  to  Hyde  Park  Corner,  Piccadilly, 
which  runs  from  this  point  to  Regent  Street,  is  one 
of  the  finest  streets  in  London,  devoted  to  splendid 
residences  and  shops  that  cater  to  a  wealthy  class  of 
customers.  It  is  always  gay  with  private  equipages, 
cabs,  omnibuses  and  streams  of  fashionably  dressed 
people. 

Parallel  with  Piccadilly  is  Pall  Mall,  another 
street  of  clubs  and  brilliant  shops  and  shoppers.  Pall 
Mall  brings  us  back  to  Trafalgar  Square,  at  which  we 
arrived  by  way  of  Whitehall. 

At  the  north  end  of  Whitehall  a  very  attractive 
scene  is  presented.  On  our  left  is  Pall  Mall ;  on  our 

48 


The  City  of  London 

right,  the  Strand;  while  directly  in  front  of  us  lies 
Trafalgar  Square.  In  1840-49,  Nelson's  column  was 
erected;  and  many  years  afterwards  Landseer's  four 
lions  were  placed  here.  In  1832,  the  National  Gal- 
lery was  begun  on  the  north  side  of  the  square ;  and, 
in  1874,  Northumberland  House,  the  last  of  the 
Strand  palaces,  was  pulled  down,  and  Northumber- 
land Avenue  cut  through  to  the  river.  One  old  land- 
mark remains  on  the  east  side  of  the  square,  the 
Church  of  St.  Martin's-in-the-Fields,  erected  by 
Gibbs  in  1721-26. 

In  the  Charing  Cross  Station  yard  stands  a  mod- 
ern copy  of  Queen  Eleanor's  Cross,  the  last  of  the 
nine  crosses  erected  in  1291  by  Edward  I.  to  mark 
every  spot  on  which  her  coffin  rested  on  the  funeral 
procession  from  Lincoln  to  Westminster  Abbey, 
whence  the  name,  Charing,  i.e.  La  Chere  reine  (the 
dear  queen)  is  said  to  be  derived.  The  original  cross, 
octagonal  and  decorated  with  paintings  and  gilt  metal 
figures,  was  removed  by  the  Long  Parliament  in 
1647,  because  it  was  deemed  "  superstitious  and  idol- 
atrous." For  twenty-seven  years  its  site  was  unoccu- 
pied; and  in  the  railed-off  space  the  regicides  met 
their  fate.  On  October  13,  1660,  Pepys  describes 
Harrison's  death: 

"  I  went  out  to  Charing  Cross  to  see  Major-Gen- 
eral  Harrison  hanged,  drawn  and  quartered;  which 
was  done  there,  he  looking  as  cheerful  as  any  man 
could  do  in  that  condition.  He  was  presently  cut 
down,  and  his  head  and  heart  shown  to  the  people, 
at  which  there  were  great  shouts  of  joy  .  .  .  Thus  it 

49 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

was  my  chance  to  see  the  King  beheaded  at  White- 
hall, and  to  see  the  first  blood  shed  in  revenge  for  the 
King  at  Charing  Cross." 

The  Strand  is  a  part  of  one  highway  that  connects 
the  City  of  London  with  the  West  End.  There  is 
little  in  it  to  remind  us  that  it  follows  the  strand,  or 
shore,  of  the  Thames.  It  is  lined  with  theatres, 
shops  and  restaurants;  and  crowded  with  cabs,  om- 
nibuses, carriages  and  foot  passengers ;  and  long  lines 
of  persons  waiting  at  the  theatre  doors,  are  a  char- 
acteristic feature.  On  our  way  towards  the  City  we 
pass  two  churches — St.  Mary-le-Strand,  built  by 
James  Gibbs  in  1714-17,  on  the  site  where  the  old 
May-pole  used  to  stand  before  the  days  of  the  Puri- 
tans ;  and  St.  Clement's  Danes,  an  ancient  church  re- 
built in  1680.  Each  stands  on  an  island  in  the  great 
highway. 

Fleet  Street  is  a  continuation  of  the  Strand.  In 
the  middle  of  the  road  is  the  monument  marking  the 
site  of  Temple  Bar,  now  removed  to  Theobald's  Park, 
Waltham  Cross,  Herts.  Here  are  the  Law  Courts, 
an  extensive  structure  of  the  Gothic  style  of  architec- 
ture. The  Law  Courts  were  removed  from  Westmin- 
ster in  1882. 

South  of  Fleet  Street  lie  the  Temple  buildings, 
consisting  of  the  Inner  Temple  Hall  and  Library,  and 
the  Middle  Temple  Hall  and  Library.  These  two 
Temples  constitute  two  of  the  four  Inns  of  Court. 
The  Temple  was  originally  a  lodge  of  the  Knights 
Templar,  a  religious  and  military  Order  founded  in 
Jerusalem  in  the  Twelfth  Century  to  protect  the 

50 


The  City  of  London 

Holy  Sepulchre.  "When  the  order  was  abolished  in 
1313,  its  possessions  became  Crown  property.  The 
division  into  two  Halls  dates  from  the  time  of  Henry 
VI. ;  and,  ever  since  that  date,  the  Inner  and  Middle 
Temple  have  been  perfectly  distinct,  although  their 
gateways  are  close  to  one  another,  and  their  courts 
and  passages  join. 

Middle  Temple  Hall,  with  its  splendid  Elizabeth- 
an roof,  was  built  in  1572.  "  Twelfth  Night "  was 
first  played  here  on  February  2,  1601-2.  Middle 
Temple  was  famous  for  its  feasts  and  entertain- 
ments. 

Temple  Church,  a  circular  church  built  by  the 
Knights  Templar  in  1183,  on  their  return  from  the 
Second  Crusade,  is  shared  by  both  the  Middle  and 
Inner  Temple.  The  interior  is  divided  into  two 
parts — the  Round  Church  and  the  Choir.  The 
Round  Church  is  the  most  ancient  part ;  and  here  are 
nine  monuments  of  Templars  of  the  twelfth  and 
thirteenth  centuries. 

Oliver  Goldsmith,  who  lived  and  died  in  Middle 
Temple  Lane,  is  buried  in  the  churchyard. 

In  order  to  become  a  barrister  in  England  the  stu- 
dent has  to  pass  through  one  of  the  four  Inns  of 
Court,  which  possess  the  exclusive  right  of  "  calling 
to  the  bar."  The  Inns  are  governed  by  older  mem- 
bers called  Benchers;  and  are  Lincoln's  Inn,  Gray's 
Inn,  and  the  Inner  and  Middle  Temple. 

Lincoln's  Inn  (off  Chancery  Lane)  derives  its 
name  from  the  Earl  of  Lincoln,  who  took  the  old 
Blackfriars  monastery  on.  this  site  for  his  town  house. 

51 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

At  his  death  in  1512,  it  became  an  Inn  of  Court. 
Some  of  the  buildings  date  from  the  time  of  James  I. 
The  splendid  library,  founded  in  1497,  is  the  oldest 
in  London.  The  fine  gateway  is  one  of  the  four  old- 
est standing  in  London :  it  dates  from  1518. 

Gray's  Inn  is  not  far  away,  in  Holborn ;  and  takes 
its  name  from  Lord  Gray  de  Wilton  of  Henry  VII.'s 
time.  It  has  existed  as  a  law  school  since  1371.  The 
beautiful  Elizabethan  Hall  was  built  in  1560;  and 
contains  fine  wainscots,  carvings  and  stained-glass 
windows  of  the  Tudor  period.  In  this  hall  Shake- 
speare's "  Comedy  of  Errors  "  was  acted  in  1594. 
The  fine  garden  was  laid  out  by  Sir  Francis  Bacon, 
who  studied  here ;  and  died  here  in  his  old  chambers. 
Gray's  Inn  Walks  was  a  fashionable  promenade  in 
the  seventeenth  century.  Returning  now  to  Temple 
Bar: 

Fleet  Street,  famous  for  its  newspaper  offices,  was 
the  very  cradle  of  printing.  Wynkyn  de  Worde,  an 
assistant  of  Caxton,  printed  books  "  at  the  Signe  of 
the  Swane  in  Fletestre  "  before  1500;  and  Richarde 
Pynson  printed  a  book  at  the  "  temple  barre  of  Lon- 
don in  1493."  Fleet  Street  was  also  a  great  street 
for  shows  and  waxworks,  also  for  taverns  such  as 
the  Mitre,  the  Cock,  the  old  Cheshire  Cheese  and 
the  Rainbow.  Milton,  Izaak  Walton,  Dr.  Johnson, 
Goldsmith  and  many  other  literary  lights,  haunt 
Fleet  Street.  Milton  once  lived  near  St.  Bride's,  ad- 
joining the  old  office  of  Punch. 

Ludgate  Hill!  The  very  name  takes  us  back  to 
legendary  London,  for  it  is  the  site  of  one  of  the 

52 


The  City  of  London 

ancient  gates  of  the  City.  King  Lud  is  said  to  have 
built  one  here  sixty-six  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ.  The  old  gate  familiar  to  the  Londoners  of 
the  Middle  Ages,  stood  where  Ludgate  Hill  Viaduct 
crosses  the  street;  and  above  this  looms  the  noble 
dome  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral. 

Passing  under  the  viaduct,  we  pause  a  moment  to 
look  at  the  yard  of  a  famous  old  inn,  La  Belle  Saw- 
vage.  The  inn  is  supposed  to  have  been  named  in 
honor  of  Pocahontas,  who  became  the  rage  in  Lon- 
don when  she  went  there  as  the  bride  of  John  Rolfe 
in  1616.  She  was  presented  at  Court,  and  called 
"  La  Belle  Sauvage"  Every  novelty  bore  her  name, 
and  many  taverns  had  the  beautiful  Indian  for  a 
sign. 

We  now  mount  the  steep  Ludgate  Hill  to  St.  Paul's 
Churchyard,  and  pass  the  Statue  of  Queen  Anne 
which  fronts  us.  Old  St.  Paul's  was  larger  than  the 
present  Cathedral.  It  was  one  of  the  most  magnifi- 
cent churches  in  Europe,  of  Gothic  architecture,  like 
Westminster  Abbey,  with  noble  aisles,  glowing  win- 
dows, shrines  glittering  with  jewels,  and  was  adorned 
with  rich  carvings,  and  filled  with  treasures.  In  the 
course  of  time,  it  had  also  become  a  favourite  meet- 
ing place  for  Londoners  in  the  daytime:  here  mer- 
chants transacted  their  business;  here  lawyers  re- 
ceived their  clients;  here  servants  came  to  apply  for 
service;  and  here  the  fops  and  gallants  came  to  dis- 
play their  fine  costumes.  The  middle  aisle  waa 
called  "  Paul's  Walk  "  and  also  "  Duke  Humphrey's 
Walk,"  from  a  mistaken  idea  that  the  tomb  of  the 

53 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Earl  of  Warwick  was  that  of  Humphrey,  Duke  of 
Gloucester.  Anyone  who  was  forced  to  go  dinner- 
less  for  lack  of  means  or  invitations  used  to  say  that 
he  had  "  dined  with  Duke  Humphrey."  During  the 
Puritan  rule,  the  Parliamentary  soldiers  played 
nine-pins  in  the  churchyard,  and  stabled  their  horses 
in  the  building 

In  the  north-east  corner  of  the  churchyard  stood 
Paul's  Cross,  a  wooden  pulpit  covered  with  lead  stand- 
ing on  stone  steps  and  surmounted  by  a  cross,  from 
which  sermons  were  preached,  Papal  Bulls  issued, 
excommunications  announced  and  heretics  carried 
off  to  Smithfield.  Here  Jane  Shore  did  penance  in 
a  white  sheet  with  a  taper  in  her  hand  in  the  fif- 
teenth century;  and  here  Queen  Elizabeth  listened 
to  the  thanksgiving  sermon  for  the  defeat  of  the 
Spanish  Armada  (November  24,  1588).  Parliament 
had  "  Paules  Cross  "  destroyed  in  1643. 

Eight  years  elapsed  after  the  Great  Fire  before 
the  site  was  cleared  for  the  present  St.  Paul's,  the 
building  of  which  was  entrusted  to  Sir  Christopher 
Wren.  The  first  stone  was  laid  on  June  21,  1675, 
and  the  last  stone  on  the  lantern  of  the  dome  was 
placed  in  1710. 

When  Sir  Christopher  was  laying  the  founda- 
tions, he  came  across  relics  of  three  different  ages: 
first,  Saxon  coffins  and  tombs;  next,  Roman  lamps 
and  arms;  and,  deeper  still,  British  graves  and  or- 
naments. 

The  interior  is  vast  and  noble.  The  nave,  formed 
by  an  arcade  resting  on  massive  pillars  dividing  the 

54 


The  City  of  London 

church  into  a  body  and  two  aisles,  is  separated  from 
the  choir  by  a  space  over  which  the  cupola  rises,  and 
from  which  the  north  and  south  transepts  diverge. 
Under  the  cupola  is  the  famous  Whispering  Gallery. 
The  exquisite  carvings  of  the  choir-stalls  are  the 
work  of  Grinling  Gibbons.  The  rich  marble  reredos 
was  put  up  in  1888  at  a  cost  of  nearly  £30,000 
($150,000).  How  impressive  are  the  columns,  the 
arches,  the  lights  and  shadows,  the  lamps,  the  tombs 
and  the  rich  carvings  of  the  choir!  The  service  is 
not  yet  ended;  and  tones  from  one  of  the  best  or- 
gans in  England  flood  the  whole  cathedral  with 
music.  The  choir-boys  are  singing  an  anthem;  and, 
owing  to  a  peculiar  echo,  their  clear  bird-like  voices 
seem  to  float  downward  from  the  dome. 

St.  Paul's  ranks  next  to  Westminster  Abbey  with 
regard  to  its  tombs  and  monuments  to  honored  dead. 

In  the  Crypt  are  the  graves  of  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  J.  M.  W.  Turner,  Ben- 
jamin West  (the  American  painter),  Lawrence, 
Opie,  Sir  Edward  Landseer,  Lord  Leighton,  Sir 
John  Millais,  George  Cruikshank,  and  the  two  great 
heroes,  Nelson  and  Wellington.  The  sarcophagus  of 
the  former  is  said  to  have  been  made  for  Henry 
VIII.  at  Cardinal  Wolsey's  expense.  The  Duke  of 
Wellington's  tomb  is  in  the  east  crypt,  a  huge  block 
of  porphyry  on  a  granite  base.  His  monument  is 
in  a  chapel  in  the  north  transept. 

In  the  crypt  are  also  preserved  the  four  monu- 
ments from  Old  St.  Paul's  that  were  spared  by  the 
fire:  to  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  Queen  Elizabeth's 

55 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Lord  Chancellor;  Sir  Nicholas  Bacon;  Dean  Colet, 
founder  of  St.  Paul's  School;  and  Dr.  Donne,  the 
poet,  who  was  dean  of  St.  Paul's  from  1621  to  1631. 

There  are  also  many  statues  and  monuments,  in- 
cluding those  to  Howard  the  philanthropist,  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  Lord  Cornwallis,  Sir  Astley  Coop- 
er, Admiral  Napier,  General  Gordon,  the  Crimean 
Memorial ;  and  tablets  to  heroes  of  the  Boer  War. 

We  pass  on  to  the  south  aisle  containing  the  stair- 
way that  leads  to  the  upper  parts  of  the  church.  We 
have  to  climb  more  than  a  hundred  steps  before  we 
reach  the  Library,  a  splendid  room  with  a  note- 
worthy inlaid  floor  of  oak,  and  marvellously  carved 
brackets  supporting  the  gallery,  said  to  be  the  work 
of  Grinling  Gibbons,  or  one  of  his  pupils.  Wren's 
original  model  for  St.  Paul's  is  here;  and  also  his 
portrait.  A  flight  of  steps  from  the  Library  leads 
to  the  Whispering  Gallery  around  the  dome.  This 
takes  its  name  from  its  peculiar  acoustics. 

We  can  see  the  decorations  on  the  dome  and  look 
down  upon  the  small  figures  below,  at  their  devo- 
tions, or  walking  about  admiring  the  Cathedral. 
From  this  point,  we  ascend  118  more  steps,  some  of 
which  are  very  steep,  and  wind  up  the  wall  in  odd 
and  unexpected  nooks  and  corners,  to  the  Stone  Gal- 
lery. If  you  like,  you  can  ascend  to  the  outer  Gold- 
en Gallery  at  the  summit  of  the  dome,  and  from  that 
steep  ladders  will  take  you  up  to  the  lantern,  ball 
and  cross,  altogether  616  steps  from  the  pavement  of 
the  church ! 

The  best  view  of  the  city,  however,  is  to  be  had 
56 


The  City  of  London 

from  the  Stone  Gallery.  We  can  see  as  far  as  Har- 
row, twelve  miles  away  on  the  northwest;  the  Alex- 
andra Pdace  on  the  north ;  Bichmond  Hill  near  the 
Thames,  twelve  miles  on  the  southwest;  and  the 
Crystal  Palace,  Shooter's  Hill  and  Greenwich  Ob- 
servatory Hill  on  the  southeast,  in  Kent.  What  a 
great  mass  of  roofs  from  which  the  smoke  curls 
gracefully  into  the  air  and  over  which  the  golden, 
blue  and  rose-colored  mists  come  and  go,  and 
through  which  the  steeples  appear  and  disappear  I 
And  what  a  forest  of  steeples  there  is! 

What  strikes  us  most  as  we  look  at  the  great  pano- 
rama below  us  is  the  great  number  of  steeples. 
Most  of  these  were  erected  after  the  Great  Fire,  and 
designed  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren. 

The  most  famous  is  St.  Mary-le-Bow,  Cheapside, 
the  famous  old  Bow  Church.  You  can  always  re- 
member its  tall  steeple  (225  feet  high)  with  the 
dragon  ten  feet  long  for  a  weather  vane.  Stow  tells 
us  that  "  for  divers  accidents  happening  hath  been 
more  famous  than  any  other  parish  church  of  the 
whole  city  or  suburbs." 

Bow  Bells  have  long  been  famous  in  London  his- 
tory and  legend.  They  used  to  ring  the  Curfew  at 
sunset  for  the  gates  to  be  shut.  They  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  story  of  Dick  Whittington,  who 
was  Lord  Mayor  of  London  four  times.  After  a  long 
silence  they  were  rehung  in  1905. 

St.  Paul's  also  has  its  bells.  In  the  Campanile 
Tower  there  is  a  peal  of  twelve;  and  in  the  south- 
west tower  hangs  "  Great  Paul,"  the  largest  bell  in 

57 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

England,  thirty  feet  in  circumference,  ten  inches 
thick  in  metal,  and  weighing  sixteen  tons. 

The  bells  of  St.  Giles's,  Cripplegate,  whose  chimes 
faintly  reach  us  as  we  stand  here,  used  to  toll  day 
and  night  during  the  Great  Plague.  St.  Giles's  es- 
caped the  Great  Fire.  It  was  built  in  1100,  and  re- 
built in  1545.  In  St.  Giles's  Oliver  Cromwell  was 
married;  and  in  it  John  Milton  is  buried. 

Cheapside  (from  Chepe,  meaning  market)  ex- 
tends from  Newgate  Street  to  the  Poultry,  and  is 
famous  for  its  shops.  Cheapside  Cross,  one  of  the 
nine  crosses  erected  to  Queen  Eleanor  (see  page  49) 
stood  at  the  corner  of  Wood  Street  until  demolished 
by  Parliament  in  1643.  Wood  Street  is  now  a  great 
district  for  wholesale  millinery.  The  neighboring 
Friday  Street  commemorates  a  Friday  fish  market. 
Bread  Street  was  the  birthplace  of  John  Milton.  Be- 
tween Friday  and  Bread  Streets,  on  the  south  side 
of  Cheapside,  stood  the  "  Mermaid  Tavern,"  where 
Shakespeare,  Ben  Jonson,  Beaumont  and  other  wits 
and  poets  congregated.  King  Street  leads  out  of 
Cheapside  to  the  Guildhall.  Above  the  porch,  where 
the  pigeons  are  circling,  and  nesting,  we  see  the 
arms  of  the  City. 

All  that  remains  of  the  old  Guildhall,  built  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  IV.  (1411)  are  the  old  walls,  and  the 
Crypt;  for  it  was  burned  in  the  Great  Fire.  The 
fine  Gothic  roof  was  built,  and  the  present  front 
erected,  in  1865-68.  The  great  Hall  with  its  open 
timber  roof  is  very  handsome.  It  is  153  feet  long,  48 
feet  broad  and  55  feet  high,  with  stained-glass  win- 

58 


The  City  of  London 

dows  at  each  end.  This  Hall  is  used  for  municipal 
meetings,  the  election  of  the  Lord  Mayor  and  mem- 
bers of  Parliament,  and  great  civic  entertainments; 
and  here,  every  ninth  of  November,  the  new  Lord 
Mayor  gives  a  great  banquet,  which  is  generally  at- 
tended by  a  thousand  guests.  On  such  occasions,  the 
Hall  is  made  magnificent  with  its  hangings  of  ancient 
tapestry  and  its  splendid  gold  service. 

Many  historical  events  have  taken  place  in  the 
Guildhall.  Here  Richard  III.  endeavored  to  make 
the  citizens  accept  him  as  King;  here  Anne  Askew, 
subsequently  burnt  at  Smithfield,  was  tried  for  her- 
esy ;  here  the  Earl  of  Surrey  was  tried  for  high  trea- 
son ;  and  here  Lady  Jane  Grey  and  her  husband  were 
also  tried.  The  old  Crypt,  divided  by  three  aisles 
and  clusters  of  columns,  dates  from  1417.  The  Al- 
derman's Court,  a  beautiful  room  with  rich  carvings 
and  allegorical  paintings,  was  rebuilt  by  Wren  after 
the  Great  Fire.  In  the  Library  there  is  a  valuable 
collection  of  70,000  books,  plays  and  pamphlets  re- 
lating to  the  history  of  London;  and  the  City  Mu- 
seum, in  a  vaulted  chamber  below,  contains  London 
relics  of  all  kinds,  including  Roman  antiquities  and 
old  shop  and  tavern  signs. 

The  lower  end  of  Cheapside,  known  as  the  Poul- 
try, opens  into  a  broad  space  where  seven  other 
streets  converge.  There  are  Prince's  Street,  Thread- 
needle  Street,  Cornhill,  Lombard  Street,  King  Wil- 
liam Street,  Walbrook  and  Queen  Victoria  Street. 
The  Bank  of  England  is  on  the  left ;  the  Royal  Ex- 
change in  front;  and  the  Mansion  House  on  the 

59 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Tight.  On  this  spot  the  multitude  of  vehicles  and 
pedestrians  moving  in  all  directions  affords  a  vivid 
impression  of  the  business  of  the  City.  Between  this 
and  Bishopsgate  and  the  Tower  to  the  east  are  situ- 
ated the  great  hanks  and  insurance  offices  and  whole- 
sale houses.  In  no  other  part  of  the  City  is  it  so 
busy  during  the  day  and  so  still  and  desolate  at 
night. 

On  the  point  between  Cornhill  and  Threadneedle 
Street  stands  the  Royal  Exchange  with  the  eques- 
trian statue  of  Wellington  in  front.  In  the  upper 
floor  are  Lloyd's  Subscription  Rooms,  where  all  the 
shipping  is  classified  and  insured. 

The  Mansion  House,  which  is  the  residence  of  the 
Lord  Mayor,  dates  from  1739.  In  this  building  the 
Lord  Mayor,  or  one  of  the  Aldermen,  sits  daily  hold- 
ing the  City  Police  Court ;  and  here  the  Lord  Mayor 
and  Lady  Mayoress  entertain  in  magnificent  style. 
The  principal  part  of  the  building  is  called  Egyp- 
tian Hall. 

Nearly  opposite  the  Mansion  House  is  the  Bank 
of  England,  covering  three  acres  of  ground.  Thread- 
needle  Street,  which  gives  the  bank  its  popular  name, 
the  "Old  Lady  of  Threadneedle  Street,"  takes  us 
into  Bishopsgate  Street  where  are  a  famous  old 
church,  St.  Helen's,  and  the  palace  of  Richard  III. 
— Crosby  Hall. 

St.  Helen's  is  the  survival  of  the  Priory  of  the 
Nuns  of  St.  Helen's  founded  in  1216.  The  double 
grille  of  stone  near  Gresham's  tomb  is  called  the 
"  Nun's  Grate  " ;  and  in  the  "  Nun's  Aisle  "  every 

60 


The  City  of  London 

Sunday  morning  "  good  sweet  wheaten  bread " 
awaits  the  poor  on  a  clean  white  cloth,  bequeathed 
by  a  donor  of  the  seventeenth  century,  who  lies  in 
this  church!  Over  the  tomb  of  Sir  Thomas  Gresh- 
am,  founder  of  the  Royal  Exchange,  hangs  his  hel- 
met, carried  at  his  funeral  on  December  15,  1579. 
On  account  of  its  many  tombs  and  monuments,  St. 
Helen's  is  sometimes  called  the  "  Westminster  Abbey 
of  the  City."  It  is  interesting,  too,  for  its  splendid 
brasses,  particularly  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Virgin,  and 
its  carved  choir  stalls,  which  are  the  original  seats 
of  the  nuns.  Shakespeare  was  a  parishioner  in  1598, 
which  explains  why  a  stained-glass  window  was 
erected  to  his  memory  in  1884. 

Among  the  tombs  is  that  of  Sir  John  Crosby 
(1475),  and  his  wife,  Anneys,  he  wearing  an  Alder- 
man's mantle  over  his  armor  and  the  badge  of  the 
House  of  York  around  his  neck, — a  collar  of  suns 
and  roses.  In  1461  he  built  Crosby  Hall — "  a  house 
of  stone  and  timber,"  says  Stow,  "  very  large  and 
beautiful,  and  the  highest  that  time  in  London,"  on 
land  that  he  leased  from  the  Prioress  of  St.  Helen's. 

Crosby  Hall  is  one  of  the  few  houses  of  the  fif- 
teenth century  left  standing.  The  Banqueting  Hall 
has  a  splendid  timber  roof  and  is  a  stately  room. 
The  great  window  is  filled  with  the  arms  in  stained 
glass  of  the  various  owners ;  and  there  is  a  very  beau- 
tiful window  in  the  so-called  Throne  Room. 

Here  Richard,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  lived  and  here 
he  held  his  court.  Shakespeare,  who  knew  Crosby 
Hall  very  well,  since  he  lived  in  St.  Helen's  Parish, 

61 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

makes  it  the  scene  in  which  Lady  Anne  awaits  Rich- 
ard's return  from  the  funeral  of  Henry  VL,  in  his 
play  of  "  Richard  III."  Sir  Thomas  More  lived  here 
for  several  years,  and  probably  wrote  here  his  "  Life 
of  Richard  III."  After  his  execution,  his  son-in-law, 
William  Roper,  leased  it.  Sir  Philip  Sidney's  sis- 
ter, the  Countess  of  Pembroke,  also  lived  here.  In 
1672,  Crosby  Hall  became  a  Presbyterian  Meeting 
house;  and,  in  1831,  a  warehouse.  Of  late  years  it 
has  been  restored,  and  converted  into  a  restaurant. 

Bishopsgate  Street  ends  at  Cornhill,  its  continua- 
tion to  London  Bridge  being  called  Gracechurch 
Street.  Cornhill  also  ends  at  this  point,  Leadenhall 
Street  being  the  name  that  continues  eastwards  to 
Aldgate.  The  latter  was  the  gate  in  the  old  City  wall 
midway  between  the  Tower  and  Bishopsgate.  Here 
lies  the  notorious  "Whitechapel,  the  beginning  of  the 
enormous  East  London,  which  has  swallowed  up  all 
the  old  villages,  Bethnal  Green,  Old  Ford,  Bow, 
Hackney,  Stratford,  etc.,  and  all  the  land  between 
the  Thames  and  Epping  Forest,  which  is  the  general 
playground  of  the  working-classes. 


62 


THE    CITY    OF   ANTWERP 
THE  CITY  OF  RUBENS 

A  NTWERP  is  one  of  the  most  important  cities 
•**•  of  Northern  Europe.  It  is  a  great  commer- 
cial port ;  a  great  fortress ;  and  a  great  centre  of  in- 
dustry; as  well  as  a  great  storehouse  of  Mediaeval 
and  Renaissance  Art  and  Architecture. 

Antwerp  was  a  morass  on  the  edge  of  a  forest  full 
of  game  when  it  was  first  settled  by  a  Germanic  tribe. 
Its  first  industry  was  salting  and  smoking  fish,  which 
it  bartered  in  English  ports  for  wool,  which  was 
woven  into  cloth  that  was  soon  in  demand  through- 
out Northern  Europe.  The  town  progressed  with 
astonishing  rapidity,  as  is  noted  by  contemporary 
writers.  In  837,  Fulda  calls  Antwerp  a  great  city; 
Heda  says  it  is  an  old  and  celebrated  city;  and,  at 
the  end  of  the  eleventh  century,  Sigisbert  of  Gem- 
bloux  proclaims  it  a  noble  metropolis.  At  this  period 
its  present  name  first  appears. 

During  the  seventh  century,  the  people  were  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  St.  Amand.  In  the  ninth 
century,  the  place  was  overrun  by  the  Normans,  who 
fortified  it,  and  made  it  the  headquarters  of  a  do- 
minion bounded  by  Ghent,  Courtrai,  Louvain  and 
Antwerp.  They  built  the  Borgt,  the  ruins  of  which 

63 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

are  still  visible,  in  885 ;  but  abandoned  it  when  Hol- 
lo made  peace  with  Charles  the  Simple,  King  of 
Prance. 

Antwerp  flourished  again  under  various  Counts  of 
the  Empire,  the  most  famous  of  whom  was  Godfrey 
de  Bouillon,  leader  of  the  First  Crusade,  and  first 
King  of  Jerusalem.  About  this  time  Tankelm,  a 
predecessor  of  Wycliff  and  Luther,  preached  reform 
doctrines  and  gained  a  great  following  in  Antwerp. 
He  was  finally  assassinated  in  a  boat  in  the  middle 
of  the  Scheldt.  His  heresy  is  a  favorite  subject  for 
pictures  by  Flemish  artists. 

Trade  and  municipal  privileges  were  constantly 
extended  by  the  Dukes  of  Brabant  during  the  thir- 
teenth and  fourteenth  centuries.  When  Edward  III. 
of  England  resided  there  with  his  court  in  1340,  its 
commerce  was  very  important,  and  he  made  it  his 
principal  wool  mart. 

When  the  Brabant  Dukes  became  extinct,  the 
province  fell  to  Philip  the  Good,  Duke  of  Burgundy. 
It  was  then  so  flourishing  that  the  historian  De  Corn- 
mines  designated  it  "  The  Garden  of  the  Land  of 
Promise." 

The  decline  of  Bruges,  by  the  shoaling  of  its  river, 
benefited  Antwerp.  By  1515,  the  principal  traders 
had  all  emigrated  thither, — first  the  Portuguese 
Jews,  then  the  Hanseatic  firms,  and  lastly  the  Eng- 
lish. In  the  day  of  her  highest  prosperity,  during 
the  reign  of  Charles  V.,  Antwerp's  commercial  pros- 
perity was  based  on  banking  and  manufacture. 

The  day  of  Reformation  and  Persecution  had  now 
64 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

arrived.  In  the  public  squares  of  the  city  there  were 
daily  scenes  of  horror  on  the  scaffold  and  at  the 
stake.  Finally,  the  nobles  banded  together;  and  the 
"  Compromise "  gave  the  signal  for  resistance,  of 
which  the  preachers  took  advantage  to  excite  the  rab- 
ble. The  result  was  that  the  Cathedral  and  churches 
were  pillaged. 

On  August  18,  1566,  there  was  the  annual  pro- 
cession through  the  city  of  the  great  image  of  the 
Virgin,  gorgeously  arrayed,  and  accompanied  by 
civil,  military  and  ecclesiastical  pomp  and  music.  As 
the  procession  passed,  disturbances  arose  in  the 
streets,  fomented  by  fanatical  sectaries.  When  the 
image  reached  the  Cathedral  and  was  placed  behind 
the  grille  for  safety,  it  was  followed  by  a  howling 
mob  that  constantly  increased  in  numbers  and  tur- 
bulence. The  spirit  of  riot  soon  led  to  the  work  of 
destruction.  The  abolition  of  all  imagery  and  carv- 
ing as  works  of  idolatry  was  urged.  Hammers, 
axes  and  crow-bars  were  procured,  the  monuments 
were  defaced,  statues  overthrown,  painted  windows 
smashed,  pictures  mutilated  and  torn  to  tatters,  and 
delicate  carvings  demolished.  The  beautiful  handi- 
work of  the  pious  devotion  of  centuries  was  destroyed 
in  a  few  hours  of  mob  violence.  The  rage  of  icon- 
oclasm  immediately  spread,  and  the  other  churches 
in  Antwerp  and  neighboring  cities  were  sacked  by 
bands  of  fanatical  puritans.  Strange  to  say,  how- 
ever, there  was  no  looting.  In  none  of  the  works 
of  desecration  was  there  recorded  a  single  act  of  per- 
sonal violence,  or  appropriation  of  the  treasures  scat- 

65 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

tered  by  the  rabble.  The  scarcity  of  Mediaeval  re- 
mains in  Belgian  churches  is  to  be  attributed  to  this 
St.  Bartholomew  massacre  of  Christian  art. 

The  administration  of  the  cruel  Duke  of  Alva  add- 
ed to  Antwerp's  woe;  but  worse  was  to  follow.  In 
1576,  the  city  was  sacked  by  the  Spanish  soldiery, 
under  secret  orders,  it  is  said,  of  Philip  II.  This 
disaster,  called  the  "  Spanish  Fury  "  cost  seven  thou- 
sand lives,  and  ruined  the  city  for  the  time.  The 
pillage  lasted  for  eight  days ;  and  the  loss  of  property 
was  estimated  at  what  would  amount  to  more  than 
two  hundred  million  dollars  to-day.  The  result  was 
that  the  surviving  merchants  and  bankers  decided  to 
emigrate. 

The  Spanish  Fury  is  best  described  in  some  vivid 
passages  from  Mr.  Motley's  work  on  the  Dutch  Re- 
publics : 

"  Cowardice  on  the  part  of  the  Walloon  defenders 
enabled  the  Spaniards,  who  had  vowed  'to  dine  in 
Paradise  or  sup  in  Antwerp,'  to  pass  the  barriers  and 
force  their  way  with  little  opposition  through  the 
streets  crying  '  St.  James,  Spain,  blood,  flesh,  fire, 
sack ! ' 

"In  front  of  the  graceful  Exchange,  where,  in 
peaceful  hours,  five  thousand  merchants  met  daily 
to  arrange  the  commercial  affairs  of  Christendom, 
there  was  a  determined  rally,  a  savage  slaughter. 
The  citizens  and  faithful  Germans,  in  this  broader 
space,  made  a  stand  against  their  pursuers.  The  tes- 
selated  marble  pavement,  the  graceful  cloister-like 
arcades  ran  red  with  blood.  The  ill-armed  burghers 

66 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

faced  their  enemies  clad  in  complete  panoply,  but 
they  could  only  die  for  their  homes.  The  massacre 
at  this  point  was  enormous,  the  resistance  at  last 
overcome. 

"  Meantime,  while  the  short  November  day  was 
fast  declining,  the  combat  still  raged  in  the  heart  of 
the  city.  Various  currents  of  conflict  had  at  last 
mingled  in  the  Grand'  Place.  Around  this  irregular, 
not  very  spacious  square,  stood  the  gorgeous  Hotel  de 
Ville,  and  the  tall,  many  storied,  fantastically  ga- 
bled, richly-decorated  palaces  of  the  guilds.  Here  a 
long  struggle  took  place.  It  was  terminated  for  a 
time  by  the  cavalry  who  charged  decisively  into  the 
melee.  The  masses  were  broken,  but  multitudes  of 
armed  men  found  refuge  in  the  buildings,  and  every 
house  became  a  fortress.  It  was  difficult  to  carry 
the  houses  by  storm,  but  they  were  soon  set  on  fire. 
In  a  brief  interval,  the  City-hall  and  other  edifices 
on  the  square  were  in  flames.  The  conflagration 
spread  with  rapidity,  house  after  house,  street  after 
street  taking  fire.  Nearly  a  thousand  buildings,  in 
the  most  splendid  and  wealthy  quarter  of  the  city, 
were  soon  in  a  blaze,  and  multitudes  of  human  be- 
ings were  burned  with  them.  The  many  tortuous 
streets  which  led  down  to  the  quays  were  all  one  vast 
conflagration.  On  the  other  side,  the  magnificent 
cathedral,  separated  from  the  Grand'  Place  by  a 
single  row  of  buildings,  was  lighted  up  but  not  at- 
tacked by  the  flames.  The  tall  spire  cast  its  gigantic 
shadow  across  the  last  desperate  conflict.  In  the 
Street  called  Canal  au  Sucre  there  was  a  fierce  strug- 

67 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

gle,  a  horrible  massacre.  The  heroic  margrave  of 
the  city  fought  with  the  energy  of  hatred  and  de- 
spair. The  burgomaster  lay  dead  at  his  feet;  sena- 
tors, soldiers,  citizens,  fell  fast  around  him,  and  he 
sank  at  last  upon  a  heap  of  slain.  With  him,  effec- 
tual resistance  ended.  The  remaining  combatants 
were  butchered,  or  were  slowly  forced  downward  to 
perish  in  the  Scheldt.  Women,  children,  old  men 
were  killed  in  countless  numbers.  Never  was  there 
a  more  monstrous  massacre,  even  in  the  blood-stained 
history  of  the  Netherlands.  It  was  estimated  that 
in  this  and  the  two  following  days,  not  less  than  eight 
thousand  human  beings  were  massacred.  The  Span- 
iards seemed  to  cast  off  even  the  vizard  of  humanity. 
Hell  seemed  emptied  of  its  fiends.  Night  fell  upon 
the  scene  before  the  soldiers  were  masters  of  the  city ; 
but  worse  horrors  began  after  the  contest  was  ended. 
This  army  of  brigands  had  come  thither  with  a  defi- 
nite practical  purpose ;  it  was  avarice,  greediness  for 
gold.  They  had  conquered  their  India  at  last;  its 
golden  mines  lay  all  before  them,  and  every  sword 
should  open  a  shaft.  For  gold,  infants  were  dashed 
out  of  existence  in  their  mothers'  arms ;  parents  were 
tortured  in  their  children's  presence;  brides  were 
scourged  to  death  before  their  husbands'  eyes.  Wher- 
ever treasure  was  suspected,  every  expedient  which 
ingenuity,  sharpened  by  greediness,  could  suggest, 
was  employed  to  extort  it  from  its  possessors.  The 
fire  had  devoured  a  vast  amount  of  property;  there 
was,  however,  much  left.  The  strong  boxes  of  the 
merchants,  the  gold,  silver,  and  precious  jewelry,  the 

68 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

velvets,  satins,  brocades,  laces  and  similar  portable 
plunder  were  rapidly  appropriated.  In  private 
houses  it  was  more  difficult.  The  cash,  plate,  and 
other  valuables  of  individuals  were  not  so  easily  dis- 
covered. Torture  was,  therefore,  at  once  employed 
to  discover  the  hidden  treasures.  After  all  had  been 
given,  if  the  sum  seemed  too  little,  the  proprietors 
were  brutally  punished  for  their  poverty,  or  their 
supposed  dissimulation. 

"  On  the  morning  of  November  5th  Antwerp 
presented  a  ghastly  sight.  The  more  splendid  por- 
tion of  the  city  had  been  consumed ;  at  least  five  hun- 
dred palaces,  mostly  of  marble  or  hammered  stone, 
being  a  smouldering  mass  of  destruction.  The  dead 
bodies  were  on  every  side.  Two  days  longer  the 
havoc  lasted  in  the  city.  Of  all  the  crimes  which  men 
can  commit,  hardly  one  was  omitted.  Eight  thou- 
sand persons  were  undoubtedly  put  to  death.  Mar- 
vellously few  Spaniards  were  slain.  Two  hundred 
killed  is  the  largest  number  stated." 

Antwerp's  sufferings  were  not  yet  at  an  end.  In 
order  to  deliver  the  provinces  from  Spanish  tyranny, 
William  the  Silent  persuaded  the  States  of  Brabant 
to  offer  the  sovereignty  to  the  Duke  of  Alenc,on, 
brother  of  Henry  III.  of  France.  The  offer  was  ac- 
cepted ;  the  Duke  arrived  with  an  army,  but  he  want- 
ed to  dispense  with  the  tutelage  of  the  States  and 
reign  as  absolute  master.  The  first  step  was  to  seize 
Antwerp  by  force.  Therefore,  on  January  16,  1583, 
he  made  a  pretence  of  reviewing  his  troops  out- 
side the  Borgerhout  gate.  He  went  out,  and  immedi- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

ately  returned  at  the  head  of  his  troops;  and  mas- 
sacred the  city  guard,  "and  all  who  offered  any  re- 
sistance. The  citizens  though  momentarily  surprised, 
quickly  recovered  and  assumed  the  offensive.  Catho- 
lics and  Protestants  alike  combined  against  the 
treacherous  enemy,  and  soon  drove  the  French  out  of 
the  city,  leaving  four  thousand  dead  behind,  and 
with  a  loss  to  themselves  of  only  eighty. 

Farnese,  Duke  of  Parma,  came  to  re-establish  the 
Spanish  authority.  Antwerp  was  the  last  refuge  of 
the  defeated  confederates,  and  was  blockaded  for  a 
year.  Finally  (1585),  it  capitulated  on  honorable 
conditions.  In  1589,  the  population  had  fallen  to 
55,000,  a  loss  of  75,000  in  about  a  century. 

With  commerce  destroyed  and  energies  exhausted, 
Antwerp  now  entered  upon  two  centuries  of  torpor, 
but  the  once  flourishing  metropolis  shone  gloriously 
in  the  Arts,  under  the  encouragement  of  Albert  and 
Isabella.  Rubens,  whose  memory  haunts  every 
church  and  square,  conferred  a  more  glorious  renown 
upon  his  adopted  city  than  she  had  ever  yet  attained. 
Many  great  masters  made  his  School  famous. 

The  Dutch,  who  had  long  been  jealous  of  the  com- 
mercial supremacy  of  Antwerp,  dreaded  a  renewal  of 
her  activities;  and  at  the  close  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  (1648)  they  achieved  their  aim  by  the  Peace 
of  Miinster,  which  consummated  the  ruin  of  the  com- 
merce of  Antwerp  by  closing  the  Scheldt  to  naviga- 
tion, thus  diverting  shipping  to  Rotterdam  and  Am- 
sterdam. 

Antwerp  was  wakened  from  her  lethargy  by  the 
70 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

French  Revolution,  heing  captured  by  Labourdon- 
naye  in  1792,  and  again  by  Pichegru  in  1794. 

Under  the  Empire,  it  became  the  capital  of  the 
Department  of  the  Two  Netherlands;  and  then  re- 
covered part  of  its  former  splendor.  Napoleon  had 
great  works  constructed  there  that  were  to  make  it 
one  of  the  great  dockyards  of  the  Empire.  In  1815 
Antwerp  was  constituted  a  part  of  the  Kingdom  of 
the  Netherlands.  A  statue  of  General  Carnot  evinces 
the  gratitude  of  the  inhabitants  of  Borgerhout  for 
having  spared  their  suburb  from  demolition  in  the 
interest  of  military  defence. 

The  Eevolution  of  1830  brought  separation  from 
Holland.  Leopold,  first  King  of  the  Belgians,  made 
his  inaugural  entry  on  July  28,  1831.  The  next 
year,  the  Dutch,  under  General  Chasse,  who  had 
shut  themselves  up  in  the  citadel,  were  besieged  by  a 
French  army  under  Marshal  Gerard  and  forced  to 
capitulate.  Since  then,  Antwerp  has  steadily  in- 
creased in  size  and  prosperity. 

The  best  way  to  enter  Antwerp  is  by  water.  It  is 
a  pleasant  experience  to  make  the  winding  journey 
up  the  Scheldt  between  the  low-lying  meadows  for  a 
couple  of  hours  till  the  Cathedral  spire  comes  in 
sight.  "  It  has  a  strange  charm,  that  snowy  needle, 
for  no  town  is  visible ;  the  plains  and  the  spire  have 
it  all  to  themselves.  It  grows  and  grows,  and  at  last 
we  have  a  glimpse  of  a  town  at  the  corner,  as  it  were ; 
another  turn  brings  us  suddenly  into  the  fine  old 
port.  Presently  we  are  gliding  past  Napoleon'g 
Docks  and  the  jetties,  alas!  now  made  hideous  by 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

modern  commercial  improvements!  "Not  so  many 
years  since,  there  was  the  old  Flemish  wharf,  lined 
with  its  old  green  trees,  behind  which  rose  a  long  row 
of  antique  houses,  with  their  red-tiled  roofs,  while 
over  all  beetled  the  exquisite  Cathedral  spire,  at 
which  the  passengers  gazed  with  astonishment  and 
pleasure.  Now  this  pleasing  vision  has  been  ruth- 
lessly swept  away.  An  interminable  row  of  hideous 
iron  sheds  has  been  interposed,  a  new  wharf  has  been 
thrown  far  out  into  the  river,  the  quaint  old  houses 
and  the  trees  have  been  levelled,  and  the  old  pictur- 
esque charm  has  been  abolished."  Thus  writes  an 
appreciative  traveller. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Antwerp  has  had  to  sacrifice 
the  picturesqueness  of  her  river  front  to  her  commer- 
cial prosperity.  The  Scheldt  is  nearly  fifty  feet  deep 
there;  and  the  largest  ships  can  dock. 

It  is  one  of  the  largest  ports  in  Europe,  and  con- 
stantly growing.  In  1899,  5,613  ships  entered ;  and 
the  imports  were  valued  at  $326,000,000;  the  ex- 
ports at  $160,000,000.  The  total  population  was 
338,800. 

The  quays  now  extend  along  the  river  front  for 
nearly  three  miles.  Behind  them  are  fine  roomy 
warehouses  fitted  with  all  modern  appliances;  and 
over  these  is  a  fine  promenade  much  frequented  by 
the  citizens  for  the  view  it  affords  of  the  shipping 
and  the  river.  Behind  all  this  on  the  north  and  south 
of  the  city  are  the  docks,  consisting  of  thirteen  large 
basins  of  different  sizes. 

Antwerp  has  fifteen  gates  and  about  nine  hundred 
72 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

streets  and  public  squares.  All  the  gates  are  modern, 
except  the  Gate  of  the  Scheldt,  which  was  built  in 
1624,  in  honor  of  Philip  IV.  Rubens  drew  the 
plans,  and  Artus  Quellin  did  the  carving.  The 
Latin  inscription  is  prophetic  of  the  continued  great- 
ness of  the  city.  It  reads :  "  The  Scheldt  delights  in 
rolling  its  obedient  waves  for  him  who  rules  over 
the  Tagus,  the  Ganges,  the  Ehine  and  the  Indus. 
Under  thy  auspices,  great  Philip,  it  will  bear  the 
same  vessels  it  formerly  bore  under  the  Emperor, 
thy  grandfather." 

At  Antwerp,  the  channel  of  the  Scheldt  has  an  av- 
erage breadth  of  1,000  feet,  varying  from  900  to 
2,000  feet,  and  a  mean  depth  of  five  fathoms  at  low 
tide.  This,  of  course,  enables  all  but  the  very  largest 
ships  to  dock.  The  wharves  on  the  left  bank  that 
made  Antwerp  so  prosperous  in  olden  times  no  long- 
er exist.  None  of  the  existing  docks  dates  earlier 
than  the  days  of  Napoleon;  and  nearly  all  the  ware- 
houses over  them  are  modern.  The  Maison  Han- 
seatique,  which  was  built  by  the  Hanseatic  League 
in  1564,  was  the  last.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1893. 

The  dock  system  is  one  of  the  most  complete  and 
extensive  in  the  world.  It  covers  an  area  of  eight 
hundred  acres.  The  oldest  docks  are  the  Grand  and 
Petit  Bassin,  constructed  by  Napoleon  for  a  great 
naval  dockyard.  The  modern  docks  are  entered  by 
a  broad  canal  running  from  the  river  to  the  Bassin 
du  Kaitendyk,  connecting  with  the  Bassin  Mexico, 
Bassin  au  Bois  and  Bassin  de  Batelage  Nord.  A 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

little  farther  west  are  the  African  and  American 
basins. 

The  busy  wharves  afford  many  interesting  types 
of  humanity,  for  Antwerp  is  a  cosmopolitan  port. 
Sailors  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  including  Lascars 
and  Chinese,  are  visible.  Dock  porters  in  distinctive 
blouses,  with  great  cloths  over  their  heads  and  shoul- 
ders, are  carrying  big  bales  of  goods,  sometimes 
weighing  more  than  400  pounds. 

We  will  now  land  at  the  Steen  Dock  and  take  a 
stroll  eastwards  through  the  old  town,  where  the 
principal  ancient  buildings  are  found.  This  pictur- 
esque neighborhood  still  retains  some  flavor  of  a  Me- 
diaeval town.  We  immediately  come  face  to  face 
with  a  monument  of  human  cruelty,  the  very  aspect 
of  which  gives  rise  to  a  vague  terror.  It  is  the  Steen, 
or  Borgt,  the  oldest  building  in  the  city.  It  has  been 
partially  restored;  and  fragmentary  as  it  is,  it  still 
bears  the  traces  of  a  terrible  epoch  in  which  so  many 
martyrs  suffered  torments  of  which  we  can  scarcely 
form  any  idea  to-day. 

In  all  probability,  it  was  rebuilt  in  885  by  the 
Normans  on  the  site  originally  fortified  in  the 
eighth  century.  Later,  it  was  repaired  by  Louis 
de  Male.  The  work  was  well  done,  as  is  evident  from 
the  remaining  masonry,  the  stones  of  which  are 
joined  with  an  extremely  hard  cement.  Above  the 
door  is  a  carved  figure  with  uplifted  arms  of  a  Scan- 
dinavian divinity.  The  upper  part  of  the  edifice 
dates  from  1520,  when  the  building  was  reconstruct- 
ed and  transformed  into  a  State  prison. 

74 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

There  are  several  chambers  with  vaulted  and 
smoothed  masonry,  water-tight  and  almost  air-tight 
at  need.  The  Torture-Chamber  is  the  largest.  In 
the  middle  of  the  night  the  prisoner  would  be  sud- 
denly awakened  and  taken  to  that  terrible  place. 
There  he  was  solidly  fixed  against  the  wall  by  the 
iron  clamps  still  there,  by  the  neck,  arms  and  legs, 
and  the  torture  began.  And  what  an  infernal  vari- 
ety of  torment  was  provided !  Steel,  fire,  water,  all 
afforded  means  of  torture.  One  chamber  served  as  a 
cistern,  with  water  up  to  a  man's  lips,  constantly 
flowing.  A  pump  handle  was  within  reach :  he  could 
keep  from  drowning  as  long  as  his  strength  held  out. 

A  man  once  brought  into  this  prison  might  as  well 
be  regarded  as  dead.  He  was  only  a  shadow  of  his 
former  self,  even  if  acquitted  after  the  examination, 
under  torture.  One  Antwerp  merchant  named  Van 
Brenseghem,  unjustly  put  to  the  torture,  was  after- 
wards escorted  home  in  pomp  with  white  wax  flam- 
beaux. The  magistracy  asked  what  amends  could  be 
made  for  the  injustice  he  had  suffered.  He  replied 
that  he  was  rich,  and  needed  no  money,  but  that  he 
had  been  deprived  of  repose  and  health,  two  things 
that  could  not  be  restored ;  but  he  requested  that  the 
instrument  of  his  torture  might  be  attached  in  per- 
petuity to  his  cell  as  a  moral  punishment  for  those 
who  had  so  unjustly  condemned  him. 

The  cells  for  the  women  have  no  communicating 
passages  with  those  for  the  men;  and  there  are  not 
such  ferocious  implements  for  the  indulgence  of 
"  Man's  inhumanity  to  man."  Ko  effusion  of  blood 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

was  resorted  to;  only  drowning,  suffocation  and  star- 
vation. 

The  instruments  of  torture  were  still  intact  in 
1794,  when  they  were  burned  or  destroyed  during  the 
French  invasion.  Those  now  exhibited  were  collect- 
ed from  other  prisons.  The  collection  of  old  furni- 
ture here  strikes  a  lighter  note — one  of  elegance  and 
comfort  and  luxury  in  the  olden  days.  Moreover, 
there  is  a  collection  of  local  antiquities  here,  consist- 
ing of  relics  of  the  old  city  and  neighborhood  turned 
up  by  pick  and  spade  during  excavations  for  improve- 
ments. These  consist  of  Roman  and  Mediaeval  curi- 
osities, coins,  weapons,  jewelry,  carvings  in  stone, 
wood  and  ivory.  There  are  specimens  of  glassware 
made  here  after  Venetian  patterns,  porcelain,  cos- 
tumes of  other  days,  and  engravings  and  other  old 
prints  of  the  city.  A  morning  spent  in  the  Steen  will 
be  richly  repaid  with  vivid  impressions  of  the  life, 
culture  and  past  prosperity  of  this  busy  port.  Two 
objects  of  special  interest  are  the  head  of  the  giant 
Antigonous,  which  has  been  an  important  feature  in 
every  civic  procession  since  the  sixteenth  century; 
and  the  head  of  the  giantess,  which  is  not  so  old  by 
a  couple  of  centuries. 

Antigonous  is  a  mythical  personage  who  is  hon- 
ored by  the  native  Antwerper  as  Gog  and  Magog  are 
by  the  Cockney  in  London.  The  citizens  used  to  de- 
rive the  very  name  Antwerp  from  Hand,  hand ;  wer- 
pen,  to  throw.  This  was  because  Antigonous  was 
said  to  have  demanded  heavy  tribute  from  the  cap- 
tain of  every  vessel  that  passed  his  castle,  under  pen- 

76 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

alty  of  having  his  right  hand  cut  off  and  thrown  into 
the  Scheldt.  Finally,  a  hero,  called  Salvius  Brabo, 
challenged  and  overcame  the  tyrant;  and  treated  him 
as  he  treated  his  victims.  In  the  Grand'  Place, 
there  is  a  modern  bronze  fountain  surmounted  by  a 
statue  of  Salvius,  in  commemoration  of  his  noble 
deed.  A  more  famous  old  well,  surmounted  by  a  fig- 
ure of  Salvius  holding  a  severed  hand,  is  in  the 
Marche  aux  Gants  opposite  the  entrance  of  the  Ca- 
thedral tower.  It  is  open,  wrought  ironwork  of  vine 
trellis  design;  and  of  late  fifteenth  century  work- 
manship. It  is  generally  attributed  to  Quentin  Mas- 
sys,  who  died  in  1530.  He  was  originally  a  black- 
smith, according  to  his  epitaph,  which  is  now  in  the 
museum;  but,  for  love  of  a  painter's  daughter,  he 
gave  up  his  craft,  and  himself  became  a  famous 
painter — more  famous  than  his  master.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Antwerp  School  of  Painting,  his  mas- 
terpiece, the  "  Entombment,"  and  other  pictures  with 
devout  figures  full  of  beauty  and  expression,  may  be 
studied  in  the  museum. 

The  colossal  figure  of  Antigonous  was  the  work 
of  the  city  architect,  Peter  Coeck  of  Alost.  It  first 
appeared  at  the  solemn  entry  of  Charles  V.  and  his 
son  Philip  II.  in  1549.  The  giant  is  seated  and  cos- 
tumed as  a  Roman  general.  It  is  nine  feet  high; 
and  an  internal  mechanism  allows  it  to  roll  its  eyes 
savagely  at  the  spectators.  In  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, a  companion  female  figure  was  provided  by  the 
municipality.  It  was  designed  by  the  sculptor 
Herryns.  She  is  costumed  like  an  antique  Minerva ; 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  she  used  to  bow  graciously  to  the  admiring  mul- 
titude ;  but  lately,  it  is  said,  she  has  developed  a  stiff 
neck.  Other  cars  in  the  processions  represent  a  whale 
straddled  by  a  Cupid;  dolphins  and  Cupids;  boats; 
and  a  Seventeenth  Century  Spanish  galley,  with  a 
full  crew  at  work. 

The  Grande  Kermesse  is  held  annually  in  mid- 
August  and  lasts  for  several  days.  Not  so  long  ago, 
each  parish  in  the  city  had  its  own  Kermesse;  but 
now  they  are  all  merged  in  the  great  communal  fes- 
tival. This  would  not  be  complete  without  the  Om- 
meganck,  which  is  common  to  every  large  Flemish 
town.  This  is  a  historical  cavalcade  and  procession 
of  allegorical  cars  illustrating  the  legendary  lore  of 
the  district.  It  is  very  popular  with  the  Flemings, 
and  attracts  throngs  of  foreigners  also,  for  the  gaieties 
of  Antwerp  are  widely  celebrated. 

The  triumphal  car  now  used  in  processions  con- 
forms closely  to  the  original  design  by  Rubens  that 
hangs  in  the  picture  gallery;  where  are  also  two 
sketches  of  triumphal  arches  erected  in  1635,  on  the 
entry  into  Antwerp  of  Ferdinand,  Archduke  of 
Austria. 

By  the  way  of  the  quaint  old  Rue  des  Orfevres,  we 
next  reach  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  a  beautiful  building 
on  the  Grand'  Place,  built  after  the  designs  of  C.  de 
Vriendt  in  1561-65.  It  suffered  terribly,  as  we  have 
seen,  during  the  "  Spanish  Fury."  In  1581,  how- 
ever, the  exterior  was  restored  as  we  see  it  to-day. 
The  interior  received  a  further  restoration  about 
twenty  years  ago.  The  rooms  and  staircases  are  rich- 

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The  City  of  Antwerp 

ly  embellished  with  paintings  and  carvings,  old  and 
new. 

In  the  Salle  des  Manages,  there  is  one  of  those  im- 
mense chimney-pieces  which  sculptors  of  old  delight- 
ed to  adorn  with  capricious  statuettes,  ingenious 
medallions  and  elegant  bas-reliefs.  The  principal 
subject  is  the  "  Marriage  of  Cana,"  appropriately 
enough  for  a  hall  in  which  civil  marriages  are  cele- 
brated. There  are  three  smaller  panels  in  which  the 
carver  has  represented  the  "  Crucifixion,"  the  "  Rais- 
ing of  the  Brazen  Serpent,"  and  "  Abraham's  Sac- 
rifice." The  ornaments  of  the  rest  of  the  room  are  in 
harmony  with  this  charming  work. 

Another  fine  carved  chimney-piece,  by  the  original 
architect,  in  the  ante-room  of  the  Council  Chambers, 
has  for  subject  the  "  Judgment  of  Solomon." 

Before  proceeding  to  the  Cathedral,  we  turn  aside 
slightly  to  the  north,  to  look  at  another  imposing 
building — the  Boucherie,  or  old  Meat  Market.  This 
is  a  big  handsome  edifice  dating  from  1501.  It  is 
built  of  red  brick  and  white  stone;  and  has  four 
six-sided  turrets.  It  is  a  fine  example  of  late  Gothic 
work. 

The  Grand'  Place  is  full  of  old  memories,  and  is 
bordered  by  several  tall  houses  belonging  to  the  an- 
cient guilds,,  built  during  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries.  The  most  interesting  are  those 
of  the  Archers,  the  Carpenters,  the  Clothiers  and  the 
Coopers.  In  one  of  the  houses  on  this  square 
(No.  4)  the  artist,  Van  Dyck,  was  born  in  1599. 
From  the  Grand'  Place  we  gain  a  fine  view  of  the 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

N 

mighty  Cathedral  to  which  we  next  proceed.  Pass- 
ing through  the  Marche  aux  Gants,  we  reach  the 
tower  door,  pausing  on  the  way  to  admire  a  famous 
old  well  of  the  fifteenth  century  said  to  have  been 
made  by  Quentin  Massys. 

Like  several  other  great  cathedrals,  Notre  Dame 
has  only  one  spire;  lack  of  money  and  enterprise 
having  prevented  the  completion  of  the  south-western 
tower,  which  is  carried  to  only  one-third  of  the  height 
designed  originally;  and  so  it  sits  like  a  great  prize 
rabbit  with  only  one  long  ear  erect.  Long  it  is ;  but 
if  we  make  the  weary  climb  of  616  steps  to  the  top 
(402  feet  up)  we  shall  be  well  repaid  by  a  beauti- 
ful view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  On  a 
clear  day,  by  the  aid  of  glasses,  we  can  trace  the 
windings  of  the  Scheldt  to  its  mouth,  and  pick  out 
many  famous  distant  towers.  Directly  across  the 
river  is  the  Vlaamisch  Hoofd  (Flemish  Head),  a 
great  fort  on  an  eminence,  from  which  also  a  fine 
view  of  the  city  may  be  obtained.  At  our  feet  lies 
the  old  city  with  its  circling  ramparts,  now  trans- 
formed into  a  ring  of  broad  and  beautiful  boulevards 
called  the  Avenues.  Within  this  circuit  are  most  of 
the  old  buildings  that  we  shall  examine  later.  Be- 
yond the  Avenues,  lie  the  suburbs;  and  then,  encir- 
cling all,  comes  the  line  of  fortifications  that  renders 
Antwerp  one  of  the  strongest  fortresses  in  Europe. 

The  river  is  crowded  with  shipping ;  and  the  smil- 
ing meadows  beyond  are  dotted  with  farms  and  vil- 
lages. Across  the  flat  lands  they  can  hear  the  bells 
that  are  pealing  beside  us — ninety-nine  in  all, — bells 

80 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

that  chime,  and  play  hymn-tunes,  and  operatic  and 
popular  airs  at  different  hours  in  the  day;  for  an 
ingenious  mechanism  allows  the  execution  of  quite 
complicated  musical  compositions. 

Their  joyous,  warning  and  solemn  tones  have  been 
familiar  to  many  generations.  The  biggest  weighs 
eight  tons,  and  was  cast  only  fifteen  years  after  Am- 
erica was  discovered.  When  it  was  baptized  Carolus 
and  consecrated  to  the  Glory  of  God,  the  great  Em- 
peror Charles  V.  stood  godfather  to  it.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  in  the  Middle  Ages,  bells  were  cast 
with  religious  ceremonies ;  and,  when  hung,  were  bap- 
tized with  the  names  of  their  sponsors,  sprinkled 
with  holy  water,  anointed,  and  covered  with  the 
white  chrisom,  like  infants.  They  were  engraved 
with  pious  texts,  or  with  inscriptions  recording  their 
virtues.  Their  music  was  supposed  to  have  as  varied 
efficacy  as  the  lute  of  Orpheus,  the  most  common  in- 
scription stating :  "  I  bewail  funerals,  break  light- 
nings, call  to  worship,  dissipate  tempests,"  etc. 

The  church  tower  was  often  the  municipal  watch- 
tower;  and,  in  turbulent  times,  the  beacon-tower, 
whose  blaze  called  the  dwellers  in  the  neighborhood 
within  the  walls  for  safety  and  defence  against  at- 
tack. The  individual  voices  of  the  bells  were  known ; 
and  the  citizens  could  tell  whether  a  storm  was  ap- 
proaching, or  a  fire  had  broken  out,  or  the  town 
guard  was  to  assemble  for  pressing  duty.  Thus  the 
most  ancient  bell  here,  cast  in  the  Place  Verte  below, 
by  Gerard  de  Liege  in  1310,  proclaims  its  duties  by 
its  name, — the  Orrida  (Dreadful) — it  was  the  muni- 

81 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

cipal  tocsin,  the  herald  of  calamity,  that  called  the 
town  guard  to  rally.  The  Marie  has  other  functions : 
She  was  first  rung  at  the  solemn  entry  of  Charles 
the  Bold  into  his  good  city  in  1467. 

The  great  clock  dates  from  1457:  the  dial  plate 
was  restored  in  1869. 

Before  going  down,  we  must  examine  the  wonder- 
ful stone  carving  of  the  exterior  of  the  tower,  which 
Charles  V.  said  ought  to  be  put  in  a  cabinet,  and 
only  exhibited  on  special  occasions.  Napoleon  lik- 
ened it  to  the  beautiful  lacework  of  Mechlin.  It  is 
indeed  a  marvel  of  lightness  and  delicacy. 

It  is  said  that  this  enormous  stone  needle  sways 
noticeably  under  the  blast  of  the  tempests  that  are 
so  frequent  around  the  North  Sea  at  the  equinoxes; 
and  that  this  movement  is  a  proof  of  its  solidity. 
From  the  top  gallery,  the  view  embraces  a  vast 
stretch  of  country,  including  Northern  Brabant,  the 
entire  course  of  the  Scheldt  down  to  the  sea,  the  end- 
less polders  of  the  Flemish  coast,  and  the  Campine 
plains.  The  view  is  more  limited  in  the  direction  of 
Brussels.  The  landscape  is  more  broken,  more  cut 
up  into  enclosures,  and  dotted  with  villages;  and 
seems  to  rise  above  that  uniform  level  which  in  all 
other  directions  sweeps  away  till  it  is  confounded 
with  the  sea. 

On  entering  the  Cathedral,  the  visitor  is  impressed 
by  its  noble  dimensions.  For  those  who  take  in- 
terest in  figures,  the  following  may  be  given.  The 
floor  space  measures  seventy  thousand  square  feet, 
being  exceeded  by  only  three  other  cathedrals  in  Eu- 

82 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

rope :  St.  Peter's,  Rome ;  St.  Paul's,  London,  and  the 
Duomo,  Milan.  It  is  384  feet  long  and  130  feet 
high.  The  transept  measures  212  feet  across;  and 
the  nave,  171  feet.  The  effect  produced  by  its  six 
columned  aisles  is  very  striking;  there  are  125  pil- 
lars that  produce  an  air  of  severity  by  their  lack  of 
capitals.  It  was  begun  in  1352,  when  Gothic  archi- 
tecture was  still  in  full  vigor;  but  it  progressed 
slowly,  and  took  more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half 
to  reach  completion  in  its  present  condition.  Nearly 
every  European  cathedral  has  been  partially  or  wholly 
destroyed  by  fire,  or  earthquake,  during  its  existence, 
and  has  had  its  embellishments  defaced  and  smashed 
by  fanatical  image-breakers.  Antwerp  Cathedral  has 
not  escaped  these  calamities.  In  1533,  fire  destroyed 
everything  inflammable  that  it  contained.  During 
the  religious  dissensions  a  generation  later,  it  was 
sacked  by  Protestant  iconoclasts;  and  it  suffered  a 
similar  experience  when  the  Goddess  of  Reason  was 
set  up  for  worship  by  the  haters  of  religion  on  the 
outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution. 

Some  of  the  old  glass  still  adorns  the  window  trac- 
ery; the  restorations  are  not  too  gaudy  in  color,  so 
that  a  rich,  mellow  glow  floods  the  carvings  in  wood 
and  stone,  and  illumines  the  vaultings.  The  lights 
on  the  altars,  the  haze  of  incense,  the  chant  of  the 
priests  and  choristers,  the  faint  tinkle  of  the  mass 
bell,  and  the  devout  immobility  of  the  scattered 
kneeling  figures  (mostly  female),  combine  to  pro- 
duce a  striking  effect  of  grandeur  and  solemnity. 

Formerly  there  were  thirty-two  side  chapels :  these 
'  83 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

were  terribly  mutilated  during  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  majority  were  demolished  later;  but, 
in  addition  to  the  Lady  Chapel,  twelve  still  remain. 

The  richly-carved  marble  high-altar  is  adorned  by 
the  famous  "  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,"  which  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  religious  subjects  paint- 
ed by  Rubens. 

The  "  Assumption  "  is  said  to  have  been  painted  in 
sixteen  days.  The  Virgin  is  represented  in  the 
clouds  surrounded  by  adoring  angels.  On  the  earth 
below  is  a  throng  of  worshipping  saints.  The  color 
is  not  so  brilliant  as  is  usual  with  this  master;  but 
this  is  probably  the  best  of  the  thirteen  pictures  of 
this  subject  which  he  painted. 

Beautiful  as  Notre  Dame  is  architecturally,  its 
chief  fame  rests  on  two  masterpieces  by  Rubens 
that  adorn  the  transepts : — The  "  Descent  from  the 
Cross,"  and  the  "Elevation  of  the  Cross."  The 
former  is  the  more  popular,  though  the  latter  is  pre- 
ferred by  some  critics.  They  were  painted  within 
two  years  of  one  another — the  "  Elevation  "  in  1610; 
and  the  "  Descent  "  in  1612. 

Among  other  works  of  art  is  a  beautiful  old  or- 
gan case,  with  a  statue  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  was 
carved  by  P.  Verbruggen.  It  is  supported  by  eight 
marble  columns.  The  mechanism  of  the  great  organ 
of  ninety  stops  is  entirely  new,  having  been  built  in 
1891.  Organ  recitals  from  the  works  of  the  best 
composers  are  given  at  high  mass  on  Sundays  and 
holidays. 

The  elaborately-carved  pulpit  is  also  the  work  of 
84 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

Verbruggen.  It  is  supported  by  four  figures  emble- 
matic of  the  Four  Quarters  of  the  World;  and  is 
enriched  with  a  multitude  of  birds  and  a  mass  of 
foliage. 

The  choir  stalls,  although  modern,  also  display 
great  richness  and  delicacy  of  ornamentation,  with 
finish  and  lightness  of  execution. 

The  treasury  of  Notre-Dame  contains  very  rich 
examples  of  early  goldsmiths'  work,  precious  both 
for  material  and  workmanship.  The  diamonds  and 
ornaments  of  the  Virgin  are  of  considerable  value. 
The  banners  also  of  the  guilds,  richly  embroidered 
and  set  with  precious  stones,  are  of  unusual  magnifi- 
cence. 

There  is  annual  procession  of  Notre  Dame  in  mid- 
August  which  is  noted  throughout  the  Catholic  world 
for  its  splendour.  It  attracts  thousands  of  visitors. 

Antwerp  is  a  city  of  statues:  her  famous  sons 
live  in  bronze  or  stone  in  every  square  and  open  space 
in  which  the  city  abounds.  The  most  celebrated  is 
the  statue  of  Rubens  in  the  centre  of  the  Place  Verte 
which  we  enter  on  leaving  the  Cathedral  by  the  south 
door.  Peter  Paul  Rubens  was  not  a  native  of  Ant- 
werp: he  was  born  in  Westphalia  in  1577.  Till  ten 
years  of  age,  he  lived  in  Cologne,  whence,  on  the 
death  of  his  father,  his  accomplished  and  devoted 
mother  moved  to  Antwerp.  There  he  studied  under 
Van  Noort  and  Otho  Venius;  and  in  1600,  at  the 
age  of  23,  went  to  Italy,  where  he  stayed  eight  years. 
His  great  talents  won  recognition  from  the  great 
there;  and  on  his  return,  the  Archduke  Albert  and 

85 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

his  wife  Isabella  employed  him  both  on  diplomatic 
missions  and  in  art  work  of  all  kinds.  He  visited 
England  and  Spain  in  their  service,  and  was  also 
called  by  Marie  de  Medici  to  Paris,  where  he  executed 
a  wonderful  series  of  decorative  works.  He  married 
his  first  wife,  Isabella  Brandt,  soon  after  his  return 
from  Italy,  when  he  settled  in  Antwerp.  His  studio 
soon  became  famous ;  and  he  gathered  around  him  as 
pupils,  or  as  assistants  who  were  glad  to  work  under 
his  eye,  the  most  able  painters  of  his  generation. 
The  most  famous  of  these  was  Van  Dyck.  The  per- 
sonality of  Rubens  overshadows  that  of  all  the  other 
masters  of  the  Flemish  school  of  painting.  He  was 
great  in  all  branches  of  his  art — portraits,  landscapes, 
animals,  historical,  religious,  allegorical  and  mytho- 
logical subjects.  He  also  designed  triumphal  arches, 
cars,  etc.,  for  great  State  and  civic  processions  and 
celebrations.  Some  of  these  are  still  used,  for  the 
Antwerp  citizens  are  very  fond  of  historical  proces- 
sions and  pageantry  of  all  kinds.  Rubens  died  in 
1640.  The  three-hundredth  anniversary  of  his  birth 
with  celebrated  at  Antwerp  in  1877  with  great  en- 
thusiasm and  with  elaborate  and  splendid  festivities. 
Of  the  house  in  which  he  lived,  No.  7  Rue  Rubens, 
nothing  remains  but  the  elaborate  Renaissance  por- 
tico and  a  garden  pavilion.  Close  by  (52  Place  de 
Heir)  is  the  so-called  House  of  Rubens's  Parents, 
which  was  built  in  1557.  It  has  a  richly-decorated 
f  agade ;  and  was  restored  in  1854.  The  statue  in  the 
Place  Verte,  close  to  the  south  porch  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, represents  him  in  the  robes  of  an  ambassador; 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

at  his  feet  lie  the  scrolls  and  artists'  materials  of  his 
double  calling. 

Besides  Rubens,  the  city  has  honored  other  great 
Flemish  artists  with  statues:  Quentin  Massys,  at 
the  entrance  to  the  Park ;  Van  Dyck,  in  front  of  the 
Musee;  David  Teniers,  in  the  Place  Teniers;  and 
Henri  Leys,  on  the  Boulevard  des  Arts.  Many  other 
monuments  adorn  the  parks  and  squares. 

The  Place  Verte  was  the  old  Cathedral  burying- 
ground,  but  is  now  a  pretty  little  park  with  hotels 
and  shops  on  either  side.  Opposite  the  farther  end 
is  the  Post  Office.  Every  evening  in  fine  weather  a 
municipal  band  plays  compositions  by  the  best  com- 
posers to  an  interested  audience  of  park  loungers  and 
people  sitting  at  little  tables  before  the  neighboring 
cafes  and  hotels,  smoking  and  drinking.  Each  of  the 
many  guilds  and  trades-unions  of  the  city  has  a  band 
made  up  from  its  own  members ;  and  musical  compe- 
titions among  these  are  often  held  in  the  Place  Verte 
on  Sundays  and  holidays.  They  take  the  stand  for 
an  hour  and  the  verdict  as  to  superiority  is  given  by 
the  majority  of  the  assembled  music  enthusiasts. 

Passing  now  along  the  Marche  aux  Souliers  we 
come  to  the  Place  de  Neir,  which  is  the  finest  thor- 
oughfare in  the  old  town.  It  was  formed  by  arching 
over  an  old  canal.  The  Place  de  Meir  is  lined  with 
fine  shops,  hotels,  cafes  and  restaurants  frequented 
by  the  well-to-do.  On  the  south  side  is  the  Palais  du 
Roi}  or  Palais  Royal,  built  by  the  architect  Baur- 
scheidt  in  1745.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  types  of  the 
"  Pompadour  Style "  still  standing  in  the  country. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

It  was  built  to  the  order  of  the  Lord  of  S'  Graven- 
wezel.  Under  the  French  Republic  it  was  seques- 
tered. Napoleon  I.  next  took  possession  of  it;  and 
since  then  it  has  served  as  a  royal  residence.  Some 
of  the  rooms  are  decorated  with  beautiful  paintings 
by  Vervoort  the  Younger. 

This  neighborhood  is  the  great  business  centre  of 
the  city.  Leading  out  of  the  beginning  of  the  Place 
de  Meir  is  the  very  short  E ue  des  Douze  Mois 
(Twelve  Months'  Street),  which  brings  us  directly 
to  the  Exchange  (Bourse).  The  original  of  this  is 
said  to  have  been  the  first  building  of  its  kind  in  Eu- 
rope. It  certainly  was  the  first  establishment  in 
Antwerp  for  foreign  and  native  merchants  to  meet 
and  transact  banking  and  commercial  business  of  all 
kinds.  In  Elizabethan  days,  Sir  Thomas  Gresham 
saw  it,  and  admired  it  so  much  that  he  recommended 
it  as  a  model  for  the  London  Exchange.  It  was  built 
in  1531  in  the  late  Gothic  style  of  architecture,  but 
was  ruined  by  fire  fifty  years  later.  Rebuilt  in  the 
same  style,  fire  again  destroyed  it  in  1858.  The 
present  edifice  is  considerably  larger  than  the  old  one ; 
but  is  restored  in  the  same  style.  There  are  en- 
trances on  all  four  sides,  and  the  arcades  on  the 
ground  floor  are  used  by  the  public  as  thoroughfares. 
It  is  still  regarded  as  the  handsomest  Exchange  in 
Europe. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  is  the  famous 
Eglise  St.  Jacques  (Church  of  St.  James). 

At  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  Antwerp 
was  so  rich  and  populous  that  the  authorities  decided 

88 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

that  the  existing  churches  did  not  suffice  for  the  spir- 
itual needs  of  all,  and  therefore  determined  to  build 
another  church  as  large  as  Notre  Dame:  the  tower 
was  to  be  even  higher.  The  site  chosen  was  the  old 
place  of  public  execution.  The  work  was  begun  in 
1491,  and  carried  on  till  interrupted  by  the  troubles 
of  the  Reformation,  when  pious  zeal  cooled.  The 
bells  rang  in  the  tower  of  St.  James's  for  the  first 
time  on  June  8th;  1528.  In  1566,  it  suffered  from 
the  depredations  of  the  rabble  that  devastated  the  Ca- 
thedral; and  was  partly  occupied  by  the  Calvinists 
till  1585.  They  held  their  conferences  in  the  great 
unfinished  nave. 

St.  James's  is  far  richer  in  its  monuments  and 
other  art  treasures  than  the  Cathedral  is,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  it  escaped  spoliation  during  the  French 
Revolution,  when  Notre  Dame  suffered  so  cruelly. 

The  pulpit  is  a  wonderful  piece  of  carving  by  L. 
Willemsens.  The  great  altar  of  white  marble  is  the 
work  of  G.  Kerriex  and  L.  Willemsens.  The  statue 
of  St.  James  in  the  middle  is  by  Artus  Quellin  the 
Younger.  The  statues  in  the  choir,  as  well  as  the 
beautiful  stalls,  were  carved  in  part  by  the  two  Ar- 
thus  Quellins,  uncle  and  nephew. 

On  the  choir-stalls  are  emblazoned  the  arms  of  the 
nobles  who  originally  occupied  them.  The  one  that 
belonged  to  Rubens  is  the  twelfth  to  the  left  from  the 
entrance. 

The  names  of  the  chapels  are  as  follows: 

Presentation  of  Our  Lady,  St.  Anthony,  St.  Roch, 
St.  Job,  St.  Anne,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  Holy  Sacra- 

89 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

ment,  Trinity,  St.  Yves,  Resurrection,  Rubens  (be- 
hind the  High  Altar),  St.  Charles,  Sts.  Peter  and 
Paul,  Visitation,  Virgin,  Cross,  St.  Hubert,  St. 
Dympne,  Three  Kings,  Holy  Name  of  Jesus  and  St. 
Gertrude. 

Of  all  these,  the  visitor  is  most  interested  in  the 
Rubens  chapel.  In  the  vault  beneath  lie  the  re- 
mains of  himself,  his  second  wife  Helen  Fourment, 
and  his  descendants.  An  altar  in  the  grand  style  of 
the  Renaissance  is  crowned  by  a  life-size  "  Mater 
Dolorosa "  in  white  marble,  a  lovely  work  by  Luc 
Faydherbe,  left  by  Rubens  himself.  The  picture 
above  the  altar  represents  the  Virgin  under  a  leafy 
canopy  presenting  the  Child  Jesus  to  St.  Jerome  ac- 
companied by  Martha  and  Magdalen. 

In  the  background,  St.  George  displays  a  banner, 
at  his  feet  is  the  dragon  that  he  has  just  slain.  In 
the  foreground  St.  Jerome  leans  upon  his  lion  and  a 
child  stands  with  its  back  to  the  spectator. 

In  this  picture  Rubens  has  immortalized  the  faces 
of  his  family :  the  Virgin  is  the  portrait  of  Isabella 
Brandt,  his  first  wife;  Mary  Magdalen  has  the  fea- 
tures of  Helen  Fourment;  the  artist  himself  is  St. 
George ;  and  St.  Jerome  is  the  portrait  of  his  father, 
Johannes  Rubens. 

In  two  arched  spaces  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall 
on  either  side  of  the  altar,  are  two  beautiful  mar- 
ble statues  by  W.  Geefs  representing  the  "  Dying 
Christian  "  and  "  Eternity."  These  are  monuments 
of  two  baronesses,  who  were  descendants  of  Rubens. 
Through  the  various  chapels  a  "  Road  to  Calvary  " 

90 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

has  been  made.  This  consists  of  a  series  of  marble 
bas-reliefs  of  scenes  from  the  Passion,  by  J.  Geefs 
and  the  De  Cuyper  brothers. 

If  we  now  return  to  the  Place  de  Meir  by  the  short 
Rue  du  Chene  and  continue  our  way  through  the  Rue 
Leys  and  the  Place  Teniers  with  its  statue  of  Teniera 
the  Younger,  we  arrive  at  the  Avenues,  having  crossed 
through  the  heart  of  the  old  city, — a  distance  of  about 
a  mile. 

The  ramparts  enclosing  the  old  town  were  con- 
structed in  1540-43.  In  1859,  they  were  trans- 
formed into  a  belt  of  fine  boulevards,  known  as  the 
Avenues.  Though  continuous,  they  are  successively 
named — South,  Industry,  Arts  and  Commerce;  be- 
ginning at  the  Southern  Railway  Station  and  end- 
ing close  to  the  Grand'  Bassin,  and  the  other  land- 
locked docks  at  the  north  of  the  city. 

After  the  levelling  of  the  ground  along  the  old 
ramparts,  rendered  necessary  by  the  alignment  of  the 
Avenues,  the  city  authorities  transformed  the  old 
Herenthals  fort  into  a  Park.  This  is  a  favorite  re- 
sort of  nurses  and  children  and  people  of  leisure. 
The  northern  end  formed  part  of  the  old  promenade 
of  the  ramparts.  Landscape  gardening — making  the 
best  use  of  winding  paths,  trees,  flower-beds,  bridges, 
fountains  and  statues — has  made  a  delightful  haunt 
of  this  Park.  Seats  are  plentiful  and  music  is  pro- 
vided by  the  City  in  fine  weather. 

Not  far  off  is  another  little  park  called  the  Pepi- 
niere.  It  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  place  of  execu- 
tion. People  frequent  this  also  in  fine  weather  to 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

listen  to  the  birds  and  the  band.  We  are  now  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  wealthy  classes. 

Berchem  shares  with  St.  Laurent  the  privilege  of 
being  the  aristocratic  suburb  of  Antwerp.  The  dis- 
trict is  calm  and  tranquil ;  and  is  a  great  contrast  to 
the  noisy  and  populous  suburb  of  Borgerhout.  It  is 
entirely  modern  in  building.  On  a  stone  at  the  bor- 
der is  a  carved  hand  indicating  the  limit  of  the  old 
jurisdiction  of  Antwerp.  When  the  sovereign  made 
his  "  Joyous  Entry/'  he  always  halted  here  and  took 
an  oath  in  the  presence  of  the  Antwerp  magistracy  to 
respect  the  privileges  of  the  City. 

Another  favorite  resort  is  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  animals  in 
Europe.  It  includes  two  of  the  biggest  elephants  in 
captivity.  The  grounds  are  beautifully  laid  out; 
there  is  a  fine  cafe-restaurant:  and  band  concerts  are 
given  twice  a  week.  The  Museum  containing  nat- 
ural history  specimens  is  large  and  amply  stocked  for 
purposes  of  study.  The  big  Asiatic  quadrupeds  are 
housed  in  a  building  representing  an  Egyptian  tem- 
ple, imitated  from  the  ruins  of  the  Isle  of  Philse. 
An  Oriental  palace  shelters  the  larger  pachyderms; 
and  every  building  is  in  keeping  with  the  habits  and 
homes  of  its  occupants.  Rubens  used  to  go  here  fre- 
quently to  study  the  lions  for  his  great  animal  pic- 
tures. 

In  the  south  of  the  old  city  close  to  the  Avenue  du 
Sud  is  situated  the  Musee  Royal  des  Beaux-Arts,  a 
handsome  modern  building  with  an  impressive  por- 
tico resting  on  four  large  Corinthian  columns.  This 

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The  City  of  Antwerp 

Museum  contains  the  picture-gallery  of  old  masters 
collected  from  the  old  monasteries  and  churches  of 
Antwerp,  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and  the  Steen,  and  en- 
riched by  private  bequests.  On  the  ground  floor,  we 
find  the  Sculpture  Gallery,  and  the  Rubens  Collec- 
tion, consisting  of  reproductions  in  black  and  white 
of  his  works,  and  which  occupies  nine  rooms  and  two 
side  halls.  The  Vestibule  de  Keyser,  in  which  a 
large  staircase  leads  to  the  picture-gallery  above,  is 
decorated  with  paintings  by  Nicaise  de  Keyser,  an 
Antwerp  painter  (1813-1887),  and  deal  with  the 
hisfory  of  the  Antwerp  School  of  Art.  Conspicuous 
among  the  painters  are  Quentin  Massys,  Frans  Flor- 
is,  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  David  Teniers,  Jan  Brueghel 
and  Jordaens.  Here  again  we  are  reminded  that 
Antwerp  is  the  city  of  Rubens,  who  is  so  splendidly 
represented  in  this  gallery  by  works  of  every  period. 
His  most  famous  paintings  are  the  gorgeous  "  Adora- 
tion of  the  Magi,"  the  "  Holy  Family,"  also  called 
the  "  Virgin  of  the  Parrot " ;  "  Christ  and  the  Two 
Thieves,"  an  "Entombment,"  "St.  Theresa,"  the 
"  Prodigal  Son,"  the  "  Communion  of  St.  Francis  " 
and  the  portraits  of  "  Rockox  "  and  his  wife  on  the 
wings  of  the  St.  Thomas  altar-piece.  Van  Dyck  also 
has  a  famous  "  Pieta  "  here  and  a  fine  portrait  of  a 
child  with  two  dogs  by  Jan  Fyt;  and  there  is  a  re- 
markable "  Crucifixion  "  by  Antonello  da  Messina. 

The  great  masters  who  founded  the  Flemish  School 
of  Painting  are  also  well  represented.  Van  Eyck's 
"  St.  Barbara  "  seated  by  her  tower,  Roger  van  der 
Weyden's  "  Seven  Sacraments,"  Quentin  Massys's 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

"  Entombment,"  and  Mending's  "  Christ  as  King  of 
Heaven  "  are  the  most  famous.  The  latter,  a  large 
picture  twenty-three  feet  long  and  five  and  a  half 
feet  high,  represents  Christ  with  six  singing  angels 
around  him,  and  on  each  wing  are  five  angels  playing 
musical  instruments.  The  gallery  also  contains  fine 
works  by  Jordaens,  Jan  Fyt  and  Snyders.  Seven 
rooms  are  devoted  to  modern  masters.  Here  are 
fully  displayed  the  qualities  that  have  made  Belgian 
art  famous  again  in  the  last  generation.  The  collec- 
tion of  old  masters  numbers  about  eight  hundred 
works  and  the  gallery  of  modern  paintings  about  three 
hundred. 

There  are  other  old  churches  with  artistic  treas- 
ures that  demand  a  visit.  The  oldest  of  these  is  St. 
Paul's,  not  far  from  the  old  Boucherie. 

St.  Paul's  was  begun  by  the  Dominicans  in  1248 
on  low  ground  that  was  frequently  overflowed  by 
the  river.  In  1540,  it  was  rebuilt  on  its  present  site, 
being  completed  in  1571.  In  1797,  the  agents  of 
the  French  Republic  seized  and  sold  it.  In  1845, 
it  became  a  parish  church.  It  is  still  an  edifice  of 
great  veneration. 

The  great  choir  is  lighted  by  beautiful  lancet 
windows,  and  up  to  a  certain  height  its  walls  as  well 
as  those  of  the  nave  are  covered  with  fine  carved 
woodwork  of  the  Renaissance  style.  The  choir 
stalls  and  confessionals  also  are  richly  carved;  and 
are  regarded  by  many  people  as  the  finest  in  the 
country. 

Above  the  woodwork  on  the  side  walls  are  fifteen 
94 


The  City  of  Antwerp 

paintings,  the  majority  of  which  are  signed  by  great 
masters. 

The  high  altar  of  the  choir  is  approached  by 
fifteen  steps:  it  is  adorned  with  a  fine  statue  of  St. 
Paul,  and  a  "  Descent  from  the  Cross "  by  Cels. 
The  choir  also  is  ornamented  with  some  fine  monu- 
ments and  statues  of  saints. 

Many  fine  pictures  decorate  the  other  altars  and 
walls.  Among  them,  the  "  Adoration  of  the  Kings  " 
and  the  "  Flagellation  "  by  Kubens,  are  particularly 
noticeable.  The  color  of  the  latter  is  wonderfully 
fresh  and  vivid.  Very  beautiful  also  are  the  pic- 
tures by  Gaspard  de  Craeyer  and  Artus  Quellin. 

The  organ  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
country. 

In  the  enclosure  that  was  formerly  the  cemetery 
of  the  church  is  a  curious  construction  called  The 
Calvary.  It  is  a  sort  of  mount  and  grotto,  built  up 
of  rocks,  clinkers,  and  broken  glass  and  adorned  with 
a  number  of  life-size  figures  of  angels,  saints,  and 
martyrs.  The  top  of  the  slope  is  as  high  as  the  roof 
of  the  church,  and  represents  the  place  of  crucifixion. 
Various  groups  represent  scenes  from  the  Passion. 
In  the  cavern  at  the  base  is  Christ  in  the  sepulchre, 
an  object  of  great  veneration  among  the  faithful.  An- 
other cavern  represents  Purgatory,  in  which  wooden 
images  of  human  figures  are  writhing  in  the  flames. 
At  the  entrance  are  statues  of  two  Dominican  monks 
who  went  to  Jerusalem  to  get  the  plans  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  relic  of  Renaissance 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

days  in  Antwerp  than  the  buildings  in  the  MarcJie 
du  Vendredi  that  was  once  the  home  and  workshop 
of  Christopher  Plantin,  the  "  Prince  of  Publishers." 
To  the  antiquarian  and  art-student  it  is  interesting  as 
a  decorative  monument  of  a  most  interesting  period, 
for  it  is  a  treasure  house  of  painting,  sculpture, 
carved  wood-work,  wrought  metal,  porcelain,  glass 
and  tapestry.  To  those  who  are  interested  in  the 
"  noble  art  of  printing  "  it  affords  an  unusual  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  everything  connected  with  book- 
making  in  the  days  of  the  Revival  of  Learning. 

Christopher  Plantin  was  born  at  St.  Avertin  near 
Tours  (France)  between  1514  and  1520.  He  went 
to  Paris  very  young  and  learned  bookbinding.  He 
next  worked  with  a  printer  at  Caen,  and  after  a 
series  of  more  or  less  lengthy  stays  in  the  principal 
French  workshops,  particularly  Lyons,  he  went  to  the 
Low  Countries,  and  about  1555,  founded  in  Antwerp 
a  printing-house  that  later  became  the  most  important 
one  in  the  world.  There,  twenty  presses  were  often 
in  full  operation  at  once ;  and  the  workmen's  wages 
amounted  to  one  hundred  ducats,  or  about  two  hun- 
dred dollars  a  day  in  present  money.  His  works, 
like  those  of  Aldus  in  Venice,  were  distinguished 
for  their  elegance  and  correctness  of  printing.  Al- 
though largely  self-taught,  Plantin  was  a  man  of 
learning,  as  well  as  taste.  He  was  well  acquainted 
with  foreign  languages,  as  well  as  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin.  He  was  thus  well  qualified  to  print  all 
kinds  of  works,  especially  as  he  had  acquired  the 
richest  collection  of  type  that  could  be  got.  More- 

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The  City  of  Antwerp 

over,  he  tried  to  attain  perfection  in  correctness,  even 
exposing  all  his  proofs  at  his  house-door  and  offering 
a  reward  to  anybody  who  would  point  out  an  error. 
His  choice  of  subjects  was  admirable:  he  printed 
works  of  Classics,  mathematics,  Church  history  and 
liturgy,  science,  art,  law  and  philology.  A  complete 
collection  of  his  publications  may  be  examined  in 
the  Plantin  Museum.  His  house  became  the  centre 
of  intellectual  and  artistic  life.  He  employed  the 
most  famous  artists  and  scholars  as  illustrators, 
writers,  engravers  and  proof-readers.  The  principal 
of  these  were  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  Martin  de  Vos, 
Van  der  Broeck,  Guicciardini,  Dodonaens,  Ortelius, 
Clusins  and  de  Lobel.  The  chief  copper  engravers 
were  the  Galles,  Van  de  Passes  and  Wierixes;  and 
the  wood  engravers,  A.  Van  Leest,  A.  RTicolai,  Geer- 
nart  and  Van  Kampen. 

Christopher  went  to  Leyden  for  a  time  on  account 
of  religious  disturbance  in  Antwerp,  and  founded  an- 
other house.  He  returned,  however,  and  left  the  Ley- 
den  business  to  a  son-in-law.  He  left  the  Antwerp 
business  to  another  son-in-law,  Johannes  Moretus, 
when  he  died  in  1589.  In  1875,  E.  F.  Moretus,  a 
lineal  descendant,  sold  the  whole  property  to  the  city 
for  $240,000.  The  buildings  surround  a  courtyard. 
The  part  that  was  used  as  a  dwelling  has  not  been 
changed  since  the  printer  bought  it  from  a  certain 
Martin  Lopez. 

To  the  book-maker,  the  industrial  parts  of  the  old 
establishment  with  the  old  presses,  proofs,  type,  etc., 
will  prove  the  most  interesting.  The  Bibliophile 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

will  rather  dwell  on  the  Salle  des  Bibles  and  the 
Manuscript  Room.  The  Salle  des  Bibles  is,  more- 
over, beautifully  decorated  with  fine  oak  panelling, 
beautiful  furniture  of  the  period,  porcelain  from  the 
Indies,  and  family  portraits  by  Rubens  and  other 
painters.  Similar  treasures  adorn  the  Salle  des  Con- 
ferences; and  the  family  dwelling  rooms  form  a  val- 
uable museum  of  domestic  art  treasures. 


98 


THE    HAGUE 
"THE  LARGEST  VILLAGE  IN  EUROPE" 

THE  HAGUE  is  first  of  all  a  city  of  fashion, 
and  draws  its  very  life-blood  from  the  Court 
and  the  nobility.  When  the  Queen  of  Holland  is  in 
residence,  and  Parliament  is  sitting,  the  stately  town 
houses  of  the  nobility,  ambassadors,  and  fashionable 
people  open,  and  the  Lange  Voorhout  and  the  Vyver 
become  gay  with  equipages,  liveried  footmen,  sol- 
diers, sentries,  officers,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen  in 
rich  attire. 

It  is  a  town  of  extreme  beauty:  it  is  well  cared 
for ;  and  has  been  called  "  the  cleanest  capital  in  Eu- 
rope." It  is  charming  in  the  spring,  when  the  pink 
and  white  horsechestnuts  are  in  bloom  along  the 
Vyver  and  the  lime  trees  bordering  the  canals  drop 
their  sweet  scented  petals  in  the  quiet  waters ;  and  it 
is  hardly  less  attractive  when  the  full  leafage  of 
summer  turns  the  Pleins,  the  Lange  Voorhout,  the 
Noordeinde,  and  the  Koninginne  Gracht,  and  other 
streets  and  canals  into  bowers  of  shade  and  beauty. 

The  Hague  is  an  ancient  town.  The  Dutch  call  it 
s'Gravenshage,  meaning  the  Count's  Enclosure,  or 
Hedge.  It  was  originally  a  hunting-seat,  or  shoot- 
ing-box, built  as  far  back  as  1250,  by  William,  Duke 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

of  Holland  and  Emperor  of  Germany,  on  the  site  of 
an  older  residence  of  his  predecessors.  Under  Count 
William  II.  it  became  the  Court  residence.  It  was 
plundered  by  the  people  of  Guelderland  in  1528; 
laid  waste  by  the  Spaniards  in  1574;  restored  by 
William  I.  in  1576 ;  and  in  1584  was  made  the  seat 
of  the  States-General  of  Holland.  Kot  being  repre- 
sented in  that  assembly,  it  was  regarded  as  "  the 
largest  village  in  Europe,"  which  designation  has 
clung  to  it.  Nevertheless,  it  was  in  this  village  that 
alliances  were  concluded  which  exercised  a  decisive 
influence  on  the  course  of  the  history  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  and  the  first  third  of  the  succeeding 
century.  Moreover,  at  the  present  day,  the  most  im- 
portant conferences  that  affect  the  future  peace  and 
happiness  of  mankind  are  held  in  this  "  village  "  in 
the  comparatively  insignificant  House  in  the  Wood. 

By  the  latter  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  The 
Hague  had  become  the  political  centre  of  the  coun- 
try; and,  consequently,  the  scene  of  all  that  was 
bright  and  gay,  and  much  that  was  turbulent. 

The  Hague  was  the  scene  of  the  tragic  death  of 
two  Grand  Pensionaries,  Olden  Barneveldt  and  John 
de  Witt.  Jan  van  Olden  Barneveldt  was  born  in 
Amersfoort  in  1547,  was  a  lawyer,  a  soldier  and  a 
diplomatist.  He  early  sympathized  with  his  coun- 
trymen to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  Spain  and  fought 
against  the  Spaniards  at  the  sieges  of  Haarlem  and 
Leyden.  He  headed  an  embassy  to  England  to  offer 
Queen  Elizabeth  the  sovereignty  of  the  United  Prov- 
inces if  she  would  aid  them ;  and  the  Queen  refusing 

100 


The  Hague 

the  sovereignty  sent  an  expedition  under  the  Earl  of 
Leicester.  When  the  latter  became  too  arrogant  and 
dictatorial,  Barneveldt  persuaded  the  States-General 
to  appoint  young  Maurice  of  Nassau  Stadtholder 
and  Captain-General;  and  Leicester  was  recalled. 
Barneveldt  was  sent  on  various  important  embassies, 
and,  in  1607,  began  to  negotiate  with  Spain  for  a 
truce,  which  was  concluded  in  1609.  This  excited 
the  opposition  of  Prince  Maurice  and  his  party ;  and 
the  two  great  men,  once  such  firm  friends,  became 
the  bitterest  enemies.  The  flame  was  further  fanned 
by  the  two  religious  parties,  the  Gomarites  (the 
Calvinists)  which  Prince  Maurice  supported,  and 
the  Arrninians  which  Barneveldt  supported.  Mau- 
rice, who  wanted  to  be  absolute  sovereign,  was  de- 
termined to  make  his  the  state  religion ;  Barneveldt, 
who  endeavored  to  preserve  the  freedom  of  the  re- 
public, contended  that  every  province  should  be  free 
to  worship  as  it  pleased. 

The  great  interview  between  Prince  Maurice  and 
Barneveldt  on  Aug.  17,  1618,  led  to  no  result. 
About  ten  days  later,  Barneveldt  and  his  friends, 
Hugo  Grotius  and  Hoogerbeets,  were  arrested  and 
imprisoned.  The  trial  was  something  of  a  farce; 
for  although  the  accusations  against  Barneveldt 
were  disproved,  he  was  found  guilty  and  condemned 
to  death.  He  was  beheaded  on  May  14,  1619,  and 
faced  death  with  the  utmost  courage. 

Another  terrible  tragedy  occured  in  1672.  John 
de  Witt  had  been  Grand  Pensionary  of  Holland  for 
twenty  years.  He  was  head  of  the  Republican 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

party,  which  was  opposed  by  the  Orange  party.  The 
latter  wanted  a  hereditary  Stadtholder.  National 
disasters  at  last  infuriated  the  populace,  who  sought 
a  victim.  Cornelis  de  Witt  was  falsely  accused  of 
plotting  the  death  of  "William  III.  the  Stadtholder. 
He  was  tortured  and  condemned  to  banishment. 

When  his  brother,  John  de  Witt,  hurried  to  the 
Gevangenpoort  to  give  him  protection,  the  infuriated 
mob,  believing  that  both  were  guilty,  forced  their 
way  into  the  prison  and  tore  the  brothers  limb  from 
limb.  Their  bodies  were  buried  in  the  Nieuwe 
KerJc. 

One  of  the  charms  of  The  Hague  is  the  numbers 
of  squares  and  parks  it  contains,  not  to  speak  of 
the  beautiful  Bosch  that  lies  between  it  and  Schev- 
eningen,  and  the  Haagsche  Bosch  in  another  direc- 
tion, with  its  stately  avenues  of  old  trees,  in  which 
is  situated  the  Huis  ten  Bosch  (House  in  the  Wood). 

There  are  not  as  many  canals  in  The  Hague  as 
there  are  in  most  cities  of  Holland;  but  it  is  dis- 
tinguished by  broad  avenues  and  public  squares  on 
which  front  imposing  palaces,  dwelling-houses,  thea- 
tres, libraries,  churches,  museums,  hotels,  restau- 
rants, cafes  (many  surrounded  by  little  gardens), 
and  innumerable  shops.  The  buildings  are  of  gray 
stone,  or  red  brick,  with  heavy  white  cornices  and 
door  and  window  frames ;  and  they  have  a  very  pic- 
turesque, as  well  as  homelike  appearance  under  the 
green  trees.  In  many  of  the  dwelling-houses,  the  up- 
per floors  project  beyond  the  lower  ones,  standing 
therefore  out  of  plumb,  and  are  supplied  with  cranes 

102 


9 


of 

H 


w 

H 


The  Hague 

for  hoisting  articles, — a  feature  that  we  frequently 
see  in  Dutch  buildings. 

The  two  centres  of  interest  are  the  Vyver  and  the 
Plein. 

The  Vyver,  or  Fish-Pond,  is  a  lake  bordered  with 
trees  and  containing  an  island  planted  with  rhodo- 
dendrons, where  the  swans  and  other  water  birds 
that  swim  on  the  glassy  surface  in  such  numbers 
make  their  nests.  The  long  quay  oil  one  side  is  a 
fashionable  promenade  called  The  Vyverberg.  It  is 
bordered  with  dwellings  of  wealthy  citizens,  among 
which  is  the  house  of  Baron  Steengracht,  who  has  a 
noted  picture-gallery  there. 

Looking  across  the  Vyver,  we  see  the  back  of  the 
'Binnenhof  and  the  Mauritshuis,  that  seem  to  rise 
out  of  the  lake  itself,  for  the  waters  wash  against 
their  very  foundations. 

The  Vyver  has  always  been  a  subject  of  interest 
to  Dutch  painters;  and  you  will  notice  in  the  gal- 
leries of  Holland  many  representations  of  it  at  dif- 
ferent periods.  It  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive spots  in  The  Hague;  but  around  it  cluster 
much  of  the  romance  and  tragedy  the  city  has  to  tell. 

Suppose  we  walk  around  and  enter  the  Binnenhof, 
the  old  Palace  of  the  Stadtholders.  The  name  Bin- 
nenhof (Inner  Court)  is  given  both  to  the  group  of 
buildings  that  forms  the  Palace,  and  to  the  court- 
yard in  which  they  stand.  It  is  entered  by  several 
gates  bearing  the  arms  of  Holland;  but  in  former 
days  it  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  approached 
by  drawbridges.  Arcades  run  around  the  four  sides 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

of  the  courtyard.  The  oldest  part,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  courtyard,  that  resembles  in  some  degree  a 
chapel,  though  it  has  turrets  and  a  gable,  is  called  the 
Hall  of  the  Knights.  It  was  built  by  William  II. 
of  Holland  in  1249,  and  enlarged  by  his  son,  Floris 
V.  In  front  of  it,  Olden  Barneveldt  was  executed 
in  1619.  In  the  Great  Chamber,  which  is  130  feet 
long,  62  feet  broad  and  69  feet  high,  the  States  of 
the  Netherlands  abjured  their  allegiance  to  Philip 
II.  of  Spain. 

Courts  of  justice  are  held  in  the  Binnenhof ;  here 
the  archives  of  the  kingdom  are  preserved ;  and  here 
the  two  Chambers  of  the  States-General  meet. 

The  legislative  power  of  Holland  is  exercised  by 
the  Sovereign  and  the  States-General,  the  latter  com- 
posed of  two  Chambers:  the  first  (Eerste  Kamer} 
corresponds  to  the  United  States  Senate;  and  the 
second  (Tweede  Kamer")  to  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives. These  two  Chambers  must  always  sit  at  The 
Hague  in  the  legislative  Palace,  or  Binnenhof. 

The  proceedings  of  Parliament  will  be  interesting 
to  the  visitor  because  they  resemble  those  of  Wash- 
ington rather  than  Paris.  The  Second  Chamber  is 
rectangular  and  unornamented.  The  seats  are  ar- 
ranged in  an  amphitheatre.  There  is  a  throne  for  the 
Sovereign ;  and,  facing  it,  the  seat  of  the  President  of 
the  Chamber.  Above  are  public  galleries.  Every  ora- 
tor addresses  the  President  from  his  seat  The  Presi- 
dent uses  a  gavel  for  keeping  order;  but,  as  a  rule, 
the  sittings  are  quiet,  with  few  interruptions.  A 
call  to  order  is  not  frequent. 

104 


The  Hague 

According  to  law,  Parliament  meets  annually  on 
the  third  Tuesday  in  September.  The  members  are 
not  required  to  take  an  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Sover- 
eign; but  one  of  public  probity  and  fidelity  to  the 
Constitution.  The  Presidents  of  both  Chambers  are 
nominated  by  the  Crown  from  a  list  of  three  selected 
by  the  members.  No  member  can  be  prosecuted  for 
his  speech  during  debate ;  and  half  the  members  con- 
stitute a  quorum.  The  Sovereign  can  dissolve  both 
Chambers  if  he  thinks  the  public  or  dynastic  inter- 
est requires  such  action. 

There  are  a  hundred  members  in  the  Second 
Chamber,  who  are  elected  by  direct  vote.  The  First 
Chamber  consists  of  fifty  members  elected  by  the 
Provincial  Estates,  for  a  term  of  nine  years. 

The  members  of  the  First  Chamber  are  paid  eight 
florins  a  day  ($3.20)  during  the  sessions,  and  mile- 
age; the  members  of  the  Second  Chamber  are  paid 
$850  a  year,  without  travelling  expenses. 

The  Hall  used  by  the  First  Chamber,  formerly 
used  for  the  sittings  of  the  States-General,  contains 
two  elaborately  carved  chimney-pieces:  one,  by  Jan 
Lievens,  representing  "War";  and  the  other,  by 
Adrian  Hanneman,  representing  "  Peace."  The 
richly  painted  ceiling  dates  from  about  1650. 

The  Treves  Saloon,  built  by  William  III.  in  1697, 
a  fine  reception-room,  with  a  peculiar  echo,  is  one  of 
the  show  places  in  The  Hague. 

The  Binnenhof  was  the  home  of  all  the  Stadt- 
holders  from  the  days  of  Maurice  of  Nassau,  who 
died  here  in  1625.  The  Hague  is  so  full  of  mem- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

cries  of  this  great  Prince  of  Orange  that  we  may 
pause  to  speak  briefly  of  his  great  career.  He  was 
only  seventeen  when  his  father  William  I.,  called 
William  the  Silent,  was  assassinated  in  Delft  in 
1584;  and,  notwithstanding  his  youth,  he  was  elected 
Stadtholder.  At  this  period  the  Spaniards  had 
control  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Netherlands; 
but  Prince  Maurice  rapidly  captured  one  city 
after  another  and  one  fortress  after  another,  and 
in  July,  1600,  won  the  great  victory  of  Nieu- 
port.  Prince  Maurice  of  Nassau  therefore  was 
something  of  an  idol  with  the  people.  It  was 
against  his  advice  that  the  States-General  signed  a 
twelve-years'  treaty  of  peace  with  Spain  in  1609 ; 
and  quarrels  ensued.  Olden-Barneveldt,  the  Grand 
Pensionary,  or  Prime  Minister,  who  had  been  a 
great  friend  of  Prince  Maurice,  led  the  opposition; 
and  the  latter,  who  had  ambitions  of  becoming  sover- 
eign, had  the  old  man,  then  in  his  seventy-second 
year,  arrested  and  condemned  to  death  "  for  having 
conspired  to  dismember  the  States  of  the  Nether- 
lands and  greatly  troubled  God's  church."  The 
Grand  Pensionary  was  executed,  on  May  14,  1619, 
on  a  scaffold  in  front  of  the  Binnenhof,  as  we  have, 
pointed  out,  and  declared  he  "  had  ever  acted  from 
sincerely  pious  and  patriotic  motives."  This  execu- 
tion is  a  stain  on  the  Prince's  memory. 

Prince  Maurice  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Frederick  Henry,  during  whose  rule  the  Dutch 
reached  their  height  of  prosperity,  triumphing  over 
the  Spaniards  by  land  and  sea,  extending  their  com- 

106 


The  Hague 

merce,  especially  in  the  East,  and   attaining  their 
greatest  achievements  in  painting. 

Adjoining  >the  Binnenhof  is  the  Mauritshuis,  the 
Palace  of  Prince  John  Maurice  of  Nassau-Siegen,  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company's  Governor  of  Brazil. 
He  spared  no  thought  nor  expense  to  make  his  house 
beautiful.  The  Court  architect,  Pieter  Post,  and 
Jacob  van  Campen,  who  built  the  Dam  in  Amster- 
dam, designed  the  house,  which  was  begun  in  1633 
and  finished  in  1644,  when  Prince  Maurice  returned. 
The  latter  sent  rare  woods  from  Brazil  to  decorate 
the  interior;  Frans  Post  painted  Brazilian  scenes 
on  the  walls ;  and  much  heavy  gilding  made  the  rooms 
very  brilliant.  Sixty  years  after  it  was  completed, 
a  fire  destroyed  everything  but  the  walls.  The  ex- 
terior was  soon  restored  in  the  original  style;  but 
no  attempt  was  made  to  repeat  the  splendor  of  the 
interior.  In  1820,  it  was  decided  to  make  the  Mau- 
ritshuis the  home  of  the  Royal  Picture  Gallery;  and 
the  fine  collection  that  belonged  to  the  Princes  of  the 
House  of  Orange,  particularly  to  the  Stadtholder 
William  V.  (1748-1800)  and  to  Prince  Frederick 
Henry  and  his  wife,  Amalia  of  Solms,  were  removed 
from  the  Binnenhof.  Some  of  these  had  been  car- 
ried away  by  the  French  army  in  1795  and  hung  in 
the  Louvre.  They  were  returned,  however,  in  1815, 
amid  the  firing  of  cannon,  ringing  of  bells  and  gen- 
eral rejoicing. 

The  Hague  Gallery,  containing  five  hundred  pict- 
ures, is  filled  with  gems  by  Dutch  and  Flemish 
masters.  The  most  celebrated  picture  is  "  The  Bull," 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

painted  in  1647  by  Paul  Potter,  who  was  then  only 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  When  this  picture  was  in 
the  Louvre,  it  was  considered  one  of  the  four  great- 
est pictures  there,  one  of  the  others  being  Raphael's 
"  Transfiguration." 

The  great  black  and  white  Bull,  almost  as  large  as 
life,  stands  on  a  hill  beneath  two  trees,  behind  the 
trunks  of  which  is  seen  the  shepherd  with  a  ram  and 
under  which  lie  a  cow,  a  sheep  and  a  lamb.  A  vast 
meadow  stretches  far  in  the  distance. 

The  very  hide  of  the  Bull  seems  to  twitch  as  you 
look  at  him,  and  his  fiery  eye  to  grow  more  savage ; 
but  a  still  more  wonderful  triumph  of  the  painter's 
skill  is  the  face  of  the  cow.  Her  eyes  and  her  wet, 
dripping  nose  and  mouth  are  marvellously  true  to 
life. 

There  is  another  splendid  picture  here  also  by 
Paul  Potter,  called  "  The  Mirrored  Cow,"  which 
many  critics  prefer  to  the  "  Bull."  The  picture  takes 
its  name  from  a  cow  that  is  standing  in  the  middle  of 
a  clear  pool  with  her  back  to  the  spectator;  and  her 
reflected  image  is  as  vivid  as  herself.  Other  animals 
are  scattered  under  the  trees  near  the  farmhouse. 
The  beautiful  landscape  is  flooded  with  sunshine. 

Rembrandt's  "  Anatomy  Lesson,"  representing  Dr. 
Nicholas  Tulp,  who  is  lecturing  to  seven  physicians 
on  the  arm  of  a  dead  man  that  has  just  been  cut  at 
the  wrist,  was  painted  for  the  Amsterdam  Guild  of 
Surgeons  in  1632 ;  it  made  Rembrandt  the  most 
popular  portrait  painter  of  his  time.  The  work  hung 
in  the  Surgeons'  Hall  at  Amsterdam  until  1828, 

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The  Hague 

•when  King  William  I.  bought  it  for  32,000  florins 
($12,800). 

Ruysdael's  "  View  of  Haarlem,"  from  the  dunes 
of  Overveen,  represents  an  immense  stretch  of  country 
across  the  meadows  all  the  way  to  Haarlem,  the 
spires  and  towers  of  which  appear  on  the  horizon 
where  the  Groote  KerTc  is  also  conspicuous.  In  the 
foreground  is  a  bleaching-ground,  where  women  are 
spreading  linen  in  front  of  their  long-roofed  houses.. 
All  these  miles  are  represented  on  a  little  canvas 
about  one  foot,  eight  inches  square ! 

There  is  also  a  celebrated  work  by  Gerard  Dow 
called  "  The  Good  Housekeeper,"  in  which  a  lady  is 
sitting  in  her  hall  sewing  beside  a  cradle  and  about 
to  superintend  the  dinner.  All  around  her  are  birds, 
game,  fish  and  vegetables.  It  is  a  marvel  of  delicate 
painting,  even  for  Dow  who  once  spent  three  days 
painting  a  broom  the  size  of  his  finger-nail.  The  di- 
rectors of  the  East  India  Company  gave  this  picture 
to  Charles  II.  when  he  left  Holland,  thinking  it  the 
best  present  they  could  offer  him.  William,  Prince 
of  Orange,  who  became  King  of  England,  brought 
it  back  to  Holland  and  hung  it  in  Het  Loot  near 
Zwolle,  and  still  the  favorite  royal  residence. 

Another  masterpiece  of  the  first  rank  is  Rubens's 
Portrait  of  "  Helena  Eourment,"  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  many  he  painted  of  his  second  wife. 
Her  complexion  is  lovely ;  her  eyes  bright ;  her  mouth 
like  a  cherry;  and  her  light  hair,  roped  with  pearls, 
silky  and  lustrous.  The  costume  is  fine — blue  satin 
slashed  with  white,  a  black  velvet  cloak  with  a  fur 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

collar;  a  toque  with  plume;  and  splendid  jewels. 
Filmy  ruffs  ornament  her  wrists,  and  in  one  hand 
she  holds  two  pink  roses. 

Travellers,  as  a  rule,  spend  so  much  time  at  the 
Mauritshuis  that  they  go  away  without  seeing  much 
of  The  Hague. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Binnenhof  is  a  large  open 
space  called  the  Buitenhof  (Outer  Court)  in  which 
is  a  statue  of  William  II.  The  Buitenhof  is  bounded 
on  the  northwest  side  by  the  Vyver ;  and  between  the 
Buitenhof  and  the  Floats  frowns  the  ancient  tower, 
the  Gevangenpoort,  with  its  gateway  that  leads  from 
one  to  the  other. 

The  Gevangenpoort,  in  which  a  collection  of  in- 
struments of  torture  is  exhibited,  was  also  the  scene 
of  a  dark  tragedy.  Here  the  de  Witt  brothers  were 
murdered  by  the  populace. 

From  the  Gevangenpoort,  the  Kneuterdyk  leads 
into  the  Lange  Voorhout,  the  most  aristocratic  quar- 
ter of  the  town,  built  up  with  fine  residences  and 
planted  with  beautiful  trees.  On  the  east  side  of  the 
Lange  Voorhout,  we  note  the  Palace  of  the  Dowager 
Queen  Emma ;  on  the  north  side,  the  Royal  Library ; 
and  on  the  Kneuterdylc  and  ParJc-Straat,  the  house 
of  Olden-Barneveldt,  now  occupied  by  the  Ministry 
of  Finance. 

A  good  idea  of  the  royal  and  fashionable  district 
is  to  be  had  by  passing  along  the  Vyverberg,  the 
Tournooiveld  (tilt-yard),  and  the  Lange  Voorhout 
into  the  wide  Noordeinde  Straat,  past  the  Royal 
Palace,  and  around  Willems-Park  to  Java-Straat; 

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The  Hague 

thence  down  the  canal  called  Kominginne  Gracht,  to 
the  Korte  Voorhout;  into  the  Tournooiveld  again; 
and  thence  along  the  Vyverberg  to  the  Plaats  and  re- 
turning to  Buitenhof. 

The  Royal  Palace  on  the  Noordeinde,  purchased 
by  the  States  of  the  Netherlands  in  1595  was  rebuilt 
by  Prince  William  III.  and  enlarged  by  King  Will- 
iam I.  The  exterior  is  simple  enough ;  but  it  is  sump- 
tuous within.  A  bronze  equestrian  statue  of  William 
I.  of  Orange,  stands  in  front  of  the  Palace.  On  the 
northeast,  Paleis-Straat  leads  through  what  was  once 
the  Palace  Garden.  Beyond  this  is  the  Mauritskade, 
on  the  canal  called  Singelsgracht,  beyond  which  ia 
Willems-Park,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  an  open 
place  called  the  Plein,  1813,  with  a  National  Monu- 
ment commemorating  the  restoration  of  the  Dutch  in- 
dependence in  1813.  On  the  north  of  Willems-Park 
lies  Java-Straat,  which  leads  into  the  Old  Scheven- 
ingen  Road. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  recognize  the  Plein,  a  large 
square  in  which  stands  a  statue  of  William  I.  Here 
the  tramways  and  electric  cars  meet;  and  here  we 
find  hotels,  business  offices  and  shops.  The  Plein  is 
the  centre  of  life;  and  is  generally  thronged  with 
people.  From  it  lead  the  Koorte  Pooten,  the  Lange 
Pooten,  and  Spui-Straat,  the  three  making  one  con- 
tinuous street.  Spui-Straat  is  always  gay  with 
promenaders  in  the  afternoon.  From  the  middle  of 
Spui-Straat,  an  arcade  built  in  the  Dutch  Renais- 
sance style  and  containing  many  attractive  shops, 
runs  north  and  into  the  Buitenhof.  Again  the  Buit- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

enhof !  Again  the  Binnenhof !  You  see  we  cannot 
escape  these  in  our  walks. 

Spui-Straat  and  its  continuation  Vlaming-Straat 
will  take  us  to  the  Groenmarkt  and  the  Vischmarkt, 
the  vegetable  and  fish  markets,  where  we  shall  see 
much  to  interest  us.  Here  are  gathered  the  peasant 
women,  with  their  quaint  caps  and  short  dresses, 
walking  or  standing  by  the  side  of  their  little  carts 
piled  mountain-high  with  vegetables  and  drawn  by 
one,  two,  or  three  dogs ;  and  here  are  the  fish-women 
from  Scheveningen  with  their  bare  arms  that  have 
turned  purple  from  exposure  to  the  weather, — a  mat- 
ter of  pride  with  these  hardy  females. 

In  addition  to  the  market  women,  the  individual 
types  seen  in  the  streets  are  the  orphans  in  their 
red  and  black  costumes,  the  girls  wearing  also  a  white 
linen  cap  and  long  chamois  skin  gloves  to  the  elbow ; 
a  group  of  men  dressed  in  black  with  white  cravats, 
crape  on  their  hats  and  cigars  in  their  mouths,  car- 
rying cards,  letters  and  lists,  on  their  way  to  invite 
guests  to  a  funeral;  policemen  in  dark  tunics  and 
helmets  like  Prussian  soldiers ;  and  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest,  who,  instead  of  a  cassock,  is  dressed  in  a  long 
redingote,  short  waistcoat,  black  stockings,  and  shoes 
with  silver  buckles.  You  will  also  see  very  frequent- 
ly a  woman  who  wears  a  kind  of  skull  cap  of  gold  or 
silver,  beautifully  polished,  which  fits  the  head  very 
closely  just  above  the  ears,  leaving  the  forehead  bare. 
In  the  top  there  is  a  round  hole  for  ventilation.  This 
is  called  a  hoofdizer  (head-iron)  ;  and  over  it  is  often 
worn  a  lace  hood,  though  sometimes  a  modern  bon- 

112 


The  Hague 

net  is  perched  upon  it,  which  has  a  very  comical  ef- 
fect. Sometimes  at  the  sides  of  this  metal  cap  and 
on  a  level  with  the  eyes  are  spiral  ornaments  of  gold. 
These  hoofdizers  are  often  handed  down  from  one 
generation  to  another  as  heirlooms. 

Housekeepers  in  Holland  do  not  go  as  a  rule  to 
market:  all  the  vendors  come  to  the  door  with  their 
carts.  The  bell  is  ringing  from  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing until  ten  o'clock  at  night.  First  comes  the  milk, 
carried  around  by  means  of  a  little  wagon,  generally 
drawn  by  a  dog,  with  its  brass  or  copper  cans  and 
measures  shining  brightly.  By  its  side  walks  a  man 
or  a  woman.  Next  comes  the  baker,  then  the  grocer, 
and  then  the  vegetable  seller.  At  each  ring  the  serv- 
ant appears  with  a  special  basket — a  long  one  for 
the  bread;  a  round  one  for  the  vegetables,  and  a 
wooden  dish  painted  green  for  the  potatoes.  Then 
comes  the  postman;  then  the  ashman,  and  so  on. 
Twice  a  week  come  the  licensed  organ-grinders ;  and 
collectors  for  various  philanthropical  societies;  and 
then  vendors  of  oranges,  fish,  mats,  baskets, — so  the 
bell  is  ringing  all  day  long! 

Early  in  the  morning,  the  servants,  armed  with 
pails  and  kettles,  go  out  to  buy  water  and  fire  from 
the  vendor  at  the  corner  who  sells  a  cent's  worth  of 
boiling  water  to  make  the  tea,  and  a  piece  of  lighted 
peat  for  the  same  price.  Here  we  may  also  mention 
the  strange  employment  of  a  waker,  who,  for  a  few 
cents  will  knock,  or  ring,  at  the  house  to  awaken 
heavy  sleepers  who  have  to  get  to  business  or  to  work. 
Men  rarely  return  home  for  their  mid-day  meal ;  but 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

from  four  to  six  the  streets  are  thronged  with  crowds 
hurrying  to  their  houses.  The  cafes  also  begin  to 
fill  at  this  time,  and  everything  assumes  an  air  of 
gaiety  and  brightness. 

The  passion  of  the  Dutch  for  cleaning  has  passed 
into  a  proverb.  Every  morning  the  house  is  liter- 
ally taken  to  pieces  and  everything  swept,  cleaned 
and  brushed;  carpets  and  rugs  are  beaten  in  the 
streets  and  every  article  is  dusted,  banged,  washed 
and  shaken.  This  is  not  enough,  however,  for  every 
spring  there  is  a  general  epidemic  of  house-cleaning 
on  a  bigger  scale. 

The  houses  are,  generally  speaking,  occupied  by 
two  families,  and  are  divided  into  two  apartments. 
The  lower  one,  called  the  benedenhuis,  consists  of  the 
lower  floors ;  and  the  second,  called  the  bovenhuis,  of 
the  first  and  second  floors  and  the  attic.  Each  of 
these  apartments  has  its  own  entrance ;  and  often  the 
house  is  surrounded  by  a  garden  to  which  every  year 
new  turf  and  gravel  are  brought  to  replace  what  the 
waters  have  carried  away.  Many  apartments  have 
the  parlor  in  the  front  and  a  dining-room  in  the  back 
and  between  them  a  windowless  room  which  is  used 
as  a  sitting-room,  particularly  in  the  cold  winter 
evenings. 

You  have  probably  noticed  in  the  picture  galleries 
how  fond  the  Dutch  masters  are  of  painting  the 
magic  beauty  of  snow  and  ice  and  the  delights  of 
skating,  sledding  and  sleighing;  and  the  scenes  that 
Aart  van  der  Neer;  Isaac  van  Ostade  and  others  have 
perpetuated  on  canvas  are  enacted  every  winter  in 


The  Hague 

Holland.  On  all  the  canals,  ponds  and  dykes  reap- 
pear the  same  sledges  drawn  by  horses;  the  same 
sledges  pushed  by  skaters ;  the  same  skaters  for  plea- 
sure and  skaters  to  market,  or  to  work;  the  same 
booths  on  the  ice  for  refreshment;  and  the  same 
handsome  sleighs  drawn  by  horses  decorated  with 
plumes  and  merry  bells. 

As  early  as  1514,  a  traveller  marvelled  at  these 
men,  women  and  children  flying  about  on  their  skates 
as  if  they  had  wings.  "  Things  have  not  changed 
to-day,"  a  Dutch  writer  tells  us.  "  There  is  joy  on 
every  face  when  the  first  snow  falls,  but  how  much 
more  delight  when  the  canals  are  frozen !  And  when 
the  cold  continues  every  one  is  filled  with  enthu- 
siasm, indeed  with  delirium.  Everybody  appears 
with  skates  hanging  from  his  neck,  or  arm.  The 
tramways  that  go  to  the  Ice  Clubs  are  crowded.  The 
schools  give  holiday.  Concerts  and  other  evening 
entertainments  are  arranged  on  the  ice.  On  all  the 
canals  in  the  towns  and  in  the  country,  you  see  old 
and  young  alike  on  skates.  Physicians  even  carry 
their  skates  with  them  in  their  carriages  to  have  a 
little  turn  between  two  visits.  Skating-parties,  too,  go 
long  distances.  People  even  go  from  The  Hague  and 
Rotterdam  as  far  as  Gouda,  to  buy  the  celebrated  pipe 
to  be  offered  to  the  bride  on  her  marriage  day ;  and 
it  is  a  crowning  triumph  to  bring  it  back  without 
breaking  the  long  stem.  This  pipe  is  the  symbol  of 
the  dignity  of  marriage,  showing  that  the  husband  is 
lord  of  his  house." 

The  skaters  of  The  Hague  are  famous  for  their 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

grace ;  and  in  no  city  are  there  more  brilliant  winter 
scenes.  A  modern  writer  says : 

"  The  large  pond  in  the  centre  of  The  Hague  near 
the  Binnenhof  is  carried  by  storm  by  a  multitude  of 
people  elbowing  and  pushing  each  other,  mingling 
in  one  confused  seething  mass,  like  a  crowd  seized 
by  a  fit  of  dizziness.  The  cream  of  the  aristocracy 
skate  upon  a  pond  in  the  Bosch,  and  there,  officers, 
ladies,  members  of  parliament,  students,  old  men  and 
boys  may  be  distinguished,  flitting  here  and  there  in 
the  falling  snow,  a  crowd  of  spectators  flocking 
around  them,  the  loud  music  of  the  military  bands 
lending  additional  animation  to  the  merry  scene,  and 
the  great  disc  of  the  Netherlands  sun  shining 
through  the  giant  beeches  and  sending  them  its  last 
dazzling  farewell  ere  it  sinks  below  the  horizon." 

Near  the  markets  are  the  Town  Hall,  and  the 
Church  of  St.  James,  better  known  as  the  Groote 
Kerk. 

The  Town  Hall  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  ed- 
ifices of  its  kind  in  Holland.  It  was  finished  in 
1565,  enlarged  by  a  north  wing  in  1734;  and  again 
restored  and  extended  in  1882-83.  It  is  in  a  splen- 
did state  of  preservation,  and  a  good  specimen  of 
Dutch  architecture.  The  statues  on  the  main  fagade 
are  "  Justice  "  and  "  Prudence." 

The  Groote  Kerk  is  a  Gothic  building  of  the  fif- 
teenth and  sixteenth  centuries  with  a  six-sided 
tower  surmounted  by  a  modern  open  work  iron  spire. 
The  interior  is  vaulted.  In  the  choir  there  is  a 
carved  wooden  pulpit  of  1550,  and  carved  frames  of 

116 


The  Hague 

the  coats-of-arms  of  some  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Fleece.  The  Golden  Fleece,  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated Orders  of  Knighthood,  was  founded  in  1429 
by  Philip  III.,  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the  Nether- 
lands, at  Bruges,  on  the  occasion  of  his  marriage  to 
Isabella,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Portugal.  Wool- 
weaving  was  the  chief  source  of  income  in  the  Low 
Countries  in  those  days ;  and  it  was  probably  for  this 
reason  rather  than  because  of  the  Grecian  myth  that 
the  fleece  was  chosen  for  an  emblem. 

There  are  some  fine  old  monuments  here,  one  of 
alabaster,  dating  from  1486 ;  and  there  are  some 
stained-glass  windows  dating  from  1547.  In  this 
church  Queen  Wilhelmina  was  married  to  Duke 
Henry  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  on  Feb.  7,  1901. 

From  the  Spui-Straat,  the  Gedempte  Spui  leads 
south  to  the  Nieuwe  Kerk,  built  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century  and  containing  the  tombs  of  Cornelis  and 
John  de  Witt.  The  Dutch  philosopher,  Spinoza,  also 
lies  here.  The  house  where  the  latter  lived  from 
1671  till  his  death  in  1677,  is  in  Paveljoensgracht, 
No.  32.  Whether  you  care  about  Spinoza,  or  not, 
it  is  a  good  type  of  a  Dutch  house  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

When  Prince  Frederick  Henry  of  Orange,  Prince 
Maurice's  brother,  died  in  1647,  his  widow,  Princess 
Amalia  of  Solms,  erected  as  a  memorial  to  him  the 
royal  villa  with  the  pretty  name  of  House  in  the 
Wood.  This  is  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  The  Hague,  at  the  end  of  the  park  called  the 
Bosch. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

The  Princess  employed  the  best  architects  of  the 
day,  Pieter  Post  and  Van  Campen,  to  build  the 
house  and  the  most  celebrated  painters  to  adorn  it. 
In  the  Orange  Room,  an  octagonal  room  in  the  centre 
and  lighted  by  the  cupola,  are  paintings  by  Dutch 
and  Flemish  artists  depicting  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Prince  Frederick  Henry.  There  is  also  a  por- 
trait of  the  Princess  Amalia  and  a  picture  of 
the  same  Princess  with  her  four  daughters  by 
Hornthorst.  The  other  pictures  deal  with  mytho- 
logical subjects;  and  there  is  also  a  series  depicting 
Count  John  Maurice  of  Nassau's  Conquest  of  Bra- 
ziL  It  was  in  the  Orange  Room  that  the  members 
of  the  Peace  Conference  met  in  1899. 

Prince  William  IV.  added  the  wings  in  1748.  The 
Chinese  Room  and  the  Japanese  Room  are  full  of 
Oriental  furniture,  hangings  and  embroideries,  and 
cabinets  of  curios;  and  the  Dining  Room,  which  is 
painted  in  grisaille  in  imitation  of  bas-reliefs,  con- 
tains a  superb  collection  of  Oriental  and  Dutch  por- 
celain and  earthenware. 

Shady  winding  alleys  and  a  lovely  lake  are  the  feat- 
ures of  the  Bosch,  where  the  crowds  gather  on  pleas- 
ant days  to  listen  to  the  military  band  that  plays 
here  twice  a  week;  and  in  the  winter  to  skate  on  the 
lake. 

A  tramway  starting  from  the  Plein  and  running 
along  the  Vyverberg,  Kneuterdyk,  Park-Straat, 
Plein,  1813,  Java-Straat  and  the  Old  Scheveningen 
Road  will  take  us  to  Scheveningen  in  half  an  hour. 

Scheveningen  and  The  Hague  are  so  close  together 
118 


The  Hague 

that  it  is  hard  to  tell  where  the  one  ends  and  the 
other  begins. 

The  Old  Road,  which  was  laid  out  in  1666,  is 
beautifully  shaded  with  trees,,  and  on  the  right  be- 
tween the  road  and  the  Canal  lies  the  Scheveningen- 
sclie  Bosch, — a  fine  old  park.  The  road  is  lined  on 
both  sides  with  houses  and  villas,  each  standing  in 
a  pretty  garden  bright  with  flowers  and  green  with 
shrubs.  Each  house  is  individual  in  appearance,  but 
unmistakably  Dutch;  and  all  have  the  air  of  cosy 
comfort,  with  their  curtained  windows,  awnings  and 
scalloped  half  shades. 

Unless  it  is  a  Sunday  or  holiday,  in  which  case  the 
road  is  thronged,  we  see  but  few  persons  coming 
towards  or  from  The  Hague.  Occasionally  some 
Scheveningen  peasants  with  their  large  headdresses, 
short  skirts  and  bare  purple  arms,  or  a  woman  wear- 
ing one  of  those  strange  metal  helmets,  trudge  along 
the  way.  Sometimes,  too,  a  bicyclist  spins  by.  As 
we  pass  the  houses  we  catch  glimpses  of  the  inmates 
at  their  doors  or  windows,  drinking  tea,  knitting  and 
smoking;  for  the  Dutch  love  to  see  what  is  passing 
and  have  no  dislike  of  being  seen. 

A  Roman  Catholic  church  marks  the  beginning  of 
Scheveningen, — three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
beach. 

There  are,  in  fact,  two  Scheveningens :  one,  the 
most  fashionable  watering-place  on  the  Dutch  coast; 
and  the  other,  a  little  fishing-village. 

Fashionable  Scheveningen  is  the  one  we  have  come 
to  see.  Our  tram  brings  us  to  the  Curhaus,  a  build- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

ing,  three  hundred  feet  long,  with  large  verandahs. 
Fashionable  Scheveningen,  consisting  of  hotels,  res- 
taurants, cafes,  and  villas  to  accommodate  the  30,000 
visitors  who  come  here  every  summer,  is  built  on  the 
top  of  the  Dunes.  A  terrace  paved  with  brick  runs 
for  a  distance  of  a  mile ;  and  below  this  fine  prom- 
enade is  a  road  called  the  Boulevard,  on  which  are 
also  situated  cafes,  restaurants  and  attractive  shops. 
About  the  middle  of  this  promenade  a  long  pier  ex- 
tends far  out  into  the  sea  and  is  terminated  by  a 
pavilion,  containing  a  restaurant  and  variety  theatre. 
Far  to  the  south  on  the  beach  stands  a  lighthouse, 
from  which  a  fine  view  is  obtained.  Numerous  hotels 
and  villas  lie  to  the  north  and  south  of  the  Terrace. 

The  visitors  are  chiefly  Dutch  and  German;  but 
there  are  also  a  good  many  English,  American,  Rus- 
sian and  Danish  tourists.  A  list  of  the  newcomers 
is  given  in  the  daily  paper,  the  Courier  de  Scheven- 
ingue,  published  in  the  French  language,  which 
everybody  is  supposed  to  speak. 

Scheveningen  is  very  gay  during  the  months  of 
July  and  August:  the  buildings  are  brilliantly  il- 
luminated; and  there  are  fireworks,  balls,  theatrical 
entertainments  to  suit  all  tastes,  and  innumerable 
concerts. 

The  large  glass  domed  Cursaal  can  accommodate 
2,900  persons.  Here  various  entertainments  are 
given  and  in  the  concert-halls  the  best  music  can  be 
heard.  Symphony  concerts  take  place  once  a  week; 
for  some  orchestra  of  reputation  is  always  at  Schev- 
eningen. 

120 


The  Hague 

Tea-rooms  and  cafes  are  frequented  in  the  after- 
noons and  the  crowds  of  people  who  promenade  the 
Boulevard  and  Terrace  or  lounge  upon  the  beach  are 
very  interesting  for  foreigners  like  ourselves  to 
watch.  We  feel  very  much  in  Europe  when  we  stroll 
about  in  Scheveningen. 

And  what  a  strange  beach!  The  sands  are  very- 
wide  and  stretch  north  and  south  without  a  break  or 
a  turn,  straight  as  an  arrow.  Far  away  from  us  the 
blue  waves  roll  in,  curl  and  break  into  snowy  foam. 
A  number  of  fishing-boats,  with  their  stout  masts  and 
peculiar  square  sails,  are  ranged  side  by  side  on  the 
sand,  reminding  us  that  Scheveningen  is  a  fishing- 
village  as  well  as  a  seaside  resort. 

Look  at  those  rows  and  rows  of  tents — pavilions 
they  call  them  here,  and  those  hundreds  and  hun- 
dreds of  wicker  chairs  with  high  rounded  backs,  that 
dot  the  entire  beach  like  mushrooms — windstoel  is 
their  name.  Both  pavilions  and  windstoels  can  be 
hired  on  the  beach;  and  they  are  usually  occupied 
all  day  long.  Look,  too,  at  the  long  row  of  bathing- 
machines  :  they  are  novel  to  American  eyes, — a  little 
wagon,  something  like  a  showman's,  with  a  door  and 
steps  at  the  back  and  a  sloping  roof  to  which  every 
now  and  then  a  horse  is  hitched  and  the  wagon  drawn 
into  the  water,  where  the  bathers  alight.  Bathing 
begins  at  seven  o'clock  every  morning  and  continues 
until  sunset.  There  is  a  gentlemen's  bathing-place,  a 
ladies'  bathing-place  and  a  place  where  they  bathe 
together.  Tickets  are  bought  on  the  beach  and  each 
number  is  called  out  when  there  is  a  vacancy  in  the 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

bathing-machine  that  carries  the  party  do\vn  the 
sands  to  the  edge  of  the  breakers. 

On  either  side  of  Scheveningen  stretch  the  Dunes, 
known  as  the  East  Dunes  and  the  West  Dunes,  which 
to  some  persons  are  a  source  of  never-failing  delight, 
while  others  find  them  unspeakably  dreary. 

The  Dunes  are  hills  of  sand  that  have  been  formed 
by  the  fine  grains  of  sand  that  are  continually  being 
blown  in  by  the  wind  and  form  hills  and  hollows. 
On  the  sea  side  of  the  Dunes,  special  grass  called 
helm  is  planted  by  the  State  to  help  bind  the  soil  and 
prevent  the  shifting  of  the  sands ;  and  when  the  sand 
begins  to  be  a  compact  mass  among  the  helm,  tiny 
moss  and  plants  soon  cover  the  Dunes  with  a  pe- 
culiar vegetation.  Beautiful  as  this  carpet  is  when 
seen  from  a  distance,  it  is  more  beautiful  when  ex- 
amined closely.  One  who  knows  these  flowers  well 
tells  us  that  "  The  first  to  appear  are  tiny  spots  and 
spores  of  moss,  among  and  around  which  is  fine  grass, 
hardly  higher  than  the  pile  of  plush  velvet.  Among) 
this  are  wild  pansies  and  blue  violets,  so  tiny  that 
an  elf  of  the  court  of  Queen  Mab  might  wear  them 
in  his  buttonhole.  A  little  scarlet-leaved  creeper, 
with  white  blossoms  and  forget-me-not  flowers  of  the 
brightest  blue,  but  no  larger  than  a  pin's  head,  also 
grow  thickly  in  the  grass.  Bushes  dwindle  to  creep- 
ing-plants. A  dwarf-willow  runs  over  the  sand,  and 
blossoms  with  masses  of  green  flowers,  on  which  the 
bees  work  busily  walking  from  flower  to  flower  on 
the  sand.  The  birch  becomes  subterranean,  descend- 
ing onto  and  below  the  surface  like  a  strawberry 

122 


The  Hague 

runner  and  throwing  out  leaves  from  the  ground." 
The  Dunes  have  inspired  many  masterpieces  of  DutcK 
painting. 

Farther  on,  the  sandhills  grow  larger,  and  the 
vegetation  increases  in  size  until  copses  of  fir  and 
pine  appear.  Rabbits,  hares,  partridges  and  other 
game-hirds  live  here  in  great  numbers;  and  in  the 
autumn  there  is  fine  shooting  in  these  regions,  es- 
pecially in  those  that  belong  to  Queen  Wilhelmina. 


123 


THE    CITY   OF   AMSTERDAM 
THE  VENICE  OF  THE  NORTH 

THE  train  that  takes  the  traveller  from  The 
Hague  to  Amsterdam  passes  through  a  very 
characteristic  and  picturesque  country.  It  runs  al- 
most parallel  with,  and  not  far  from,  the  coast,  pass- 
ing through  Leyden  and  Haarlem  and  numerous  lit- 
tle villages,  and  presents  a  constant  succession  of 
new  and  charming  pictures  to  the  fascinated  eye. 

All  this  country  is  marvellously  fertile.  It  is  a 
sort  of  northern  garden  of  Eden  where  fruit,  flowers 
and  vegetables  grow  in  amazing  abundance.  Before 
our  eyes  pass  fields  of  wheat,  flax  and  other  grains, 
alternating  with  kitchen-gardens,  where  squares  d& 
voted  to  red  and  green  cabbages  alternate  with 
squares  upon  squares  planted  with  peas  and  beans. 
Orchards  of  fruit-trees  then  come  into  view;  then 
acres  upon  acres  of  strawberries,  tulips,  hyacinths 
and  roses;  then  miles  of  greenhouses,  whose  bright 
panes  scintillating  in  the  sunlight  conceal  splendid 
orchids  and  other  exotic  flowers  from  Bavaria  and 
Guiana.  The  vast,  spongy  meadows,  charming  in 
their  monotony  of  tender  green,  where  ditches  take 
the  place  of  hedge-rows  and  shine  like  bands  of  sil- 
ver in  the  light,  are  thickly  sprinkled  with  pretty 

124 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

white  farm-houses,  whose  red  roofs  peep  cheerfully 
beneath  clumps  of  willows.  Here,  too,  innumerable 
black  and  white  cows  bite  the  crisp  blades  of  grass, 
or  rest  upon  the  thick  turf,  and  here,  too,  windmills 
constantly  come  into  the  picture. 

Everything  here  shows  the  work  of  man's  hand; 
for  we  are  and  have  been  for  a  long  time  running 
along  the  great  Haarlemmer  Polder,  which  was 
formed  by  drawing  all  the  water  off  the  Haarlemmer 
Meer,  a  sort  of  inland  sea  about  seventy-two  square 
miles  which  occupied  nearly  all  the  space  between 
Amsterdam,  Haarlem  and  Leyden.  It  is  now,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  richly  cultivated  plain,  dotted  with  vil- 
lages and  farms  and  containing  a  population  of  about 
16,000. 

In  all  countries  man  is  kept  busy  tilling  the  soil ; 
but  in  Holland  the  very  soil  has  to  be  created  first. 
Holland  is  a  network  of  rivers  and  lakes ;  and,  as  it 
lies  very  low  without  protecting  rocks,  the  furious 
sea  beats  and  lashes  and  gnaws  into  the  sandy  shores 
as  if  determined  to  join  the  great  rivers  and  swallow 
up  the  entire  country.  If  it  were  not  for  the  won- 
derful skill  the  Dutch  engineers  possess,  there  would 
soon  be  no  Holland  whatever.  As  it  is,  there  is  a 
constant  battle  between  the  people  and  the  sea. 
Dykes  were  constructed  in  Holland  even  before  the 
days  of  the  Romans,  so  that  the  great  knowledge  the 
Dutch  have  of  hydraulics  is  a  development  of  cen- 
turies. Sometimes,  however,  the  sea  has  triumphed* 
as  for  example  in  1421,  when,  during  a  frightful 
storm  the  dykes  were  burst  at  Biesbosch  in  South. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Holland  and  seventy-two  villages,  with  a  hundred 
thousand  persons,  were  engulfed.  At  this  time,  the 
Hollandisch  Diep,  an  arm  of  the  sea,  was  formed. 
Again  in  1826,  forty  villages  in  North  Holland  were 
swept  away  and  hundreds  of  persons  perished,  be- 
sides cattle  and  sheep. 

It  was  in  the  eighth  century  that  the  Dutch  be- 
gan seriously  to  dyke  their  country ;  but  the  troubles 
of  the  Middle  Ages  gave  them  too  much  fighting  to 
do  on  land  for  them  to  battle  with  the  ocean.  In 
the  fifteenth  century  all  the  dykes  that  had  been 
made  were  destroyed.  During  the  sixteenth  and  sev- 
enteenth century,  the  time  of  Holland's  great  pros- 
perity, her  people  began  to  reconquer  their  land 
from  the  sea.  Everywhere  dykes  were  made  parallel 
with  the  rivers;  polders  were  redeemed  from  the 
water ;  and,  on  every  side,  windmills,  that  now  form 
such  a  characteristic  feature  of  the  landscape,  arose 
to  drain  the  land.  In  1480,  the  first  polder  was 
definitely  conquered  from  the  ocean  in  the  island  of 
Texel;  in  1855  a  lake  near  Alkmaar  was  pumped 
dry;  but  the  greatest  triumph  of  all  was  the  drain- 
ing of  the  Haarlem  Meer,  in  1842-1853. 

The  embankments  vary  in  different  places:  some- 
times they  are  merely  earthworks;  sometimes  they 
are  strengthened  with  bricks  or  piles  or  both;  and 
sometimes  they  are  great  works  of  stone  or  granite; 
while  the  sluice-gates,  formerly  of  wood,  are  now 
colossal  structures  of  stone  which  open  and  shut  ac- 
cording to  the  current  of  the  sea  and  defy  the  an- 
griest waves. 

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The  City  of  Amsterdam 

"  All  the  defensive  works  against  the  sea  and  rivers 
would  not  save  Holland,  if  some  way  had  not  been 
discovered  to  get  rid  of  the  overflowing  rivers  and 
lakes  and  pools  and  peat-beds  that  had  become  lakes. 
Then  it  was  that  the  Dutch  began  to  drain  the 
'  polders/  the  name  they  gave  to  the  old  marshes. 
An  hydraulic  wind-mill  was  put  up  in  Alkmaar  in 
1408,  and  was  quickly  imitated ;  and  by  the  end  of 
the  fifteenth  century  the  use  of  wind-mills  to  drain 
the  Dutch  polders  had  become  universal.  At  this 
period  they  began  to  construct  dykes  through  the 
lowlands,  trenches  to  guide  the  water  and  sluice- 
gates to  regulate  its  level. 

"  Through  this  discovery,  the  internal  state  of  the 
country  was  changed  and  agriculture  could  spring 
up.  At  the  present  day  mills  of  all  shapes  and  di- 
mensions stand  in  the  middle  of  rich  plains,  whose 
superfluous  waters  they  draw  off:  their  busy  wings 
in  the  distance  blended  together  in  a  tranquil  sky, 
and  give  the  landscape  a  singular  character.  Some 
of  these  mills  are  true  edifices,  which  seek  the  wind 
at  a  considerable  height;  others,  smaller  and  built 
of  wood  or  brick,  are  very  prettily  finished  off.  This 
rustic  coquetry — these  huge  sails  which  flutter  in 
the  air  like  the  wings  of  gigantic  and  fabulous  birds; , 
this  tick-tick  blended  with  the  sound  of  the  waters, 
spread  over  the  calm  nature  of  Holland  an  in- 
definable charm  and  movement.  Elsewhere,  mills, 
those  monuments  of  a  pastoral  life,  are  only  employed 
in  one  way ;  but  here,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  hy- 
draulic machines,  saw  and  flour-grinding  mills.  You 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Bee  some  polders  served  by  a  single  small  mill,  while 
several  large  mills  are  employed  in  draining  others. 
Formerly,  efforts  were  limited  to  draining  ground  of 
no  great  depth ;  but  since  science  has  progressed,  the 
wind  is  called  upon  to  exhaust  even  deep  marshes. 
When  you  now  see  this  land,  fabricated  and  kept  up 
by  the  hand  of  man,  covered  in  summer  with  rich 
pasturage,  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  frequently  abun- 
dant crops,  you  cannot  sufficiently  admire  the  con- 
dition of  the  art  which  has  converted  land  buried  be- 
neath the  waters  into  a  garden."  * 

Amsterdam,  which  lies  on  an  arm  of  the  Zuyder 
Zee  called  the  Y  (pronounced  eye),  is  built  in  the 
form  of  a  semicircle ;  or,  perhaps,  we  had  better  say 
it  has  grown  in  a  series  of  semicircular  canals 
called  grachts  facing  the  Y.  The  chief  of  these  are 
Heerengracht,  Keizersgracht  and  Prinsengracht. 
From  the  last-named  and  wide  canal,  short  streets 
and  narrow  canals  run  at  right  angles  towards  the 
Singelgracht,  the  outer  girdle  of  the  town  which  was 
in  former  days  the  moat  around  the  ramparts  and 
which  now  forms  a  natural  boundary  between  old 
Amsterdam  and  the  new  quarter  of  the  town. 

The  Dutch  engineers  have  altered  the  Harbor  to 
suit  the  needs  of  the  present  day  since  the  North  Sea 
Canal  that  gave  Amsterdam  direct  communication 
with  the  ocean  was  made.  -They  have  made  large 
docks  and  quays,  and  built  artificial  islands  in  the 
Y.  All  this  water  front  presents  an  attractive  ap- 
pearance; here  are  docked  the  American  liners  and 
*  Alphonse  Esquiros. 

128 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

East  India  ships;  here  the  steamers  arrive  and  de- 
part for  various  Dutch  ports  and  to  Bristol,  Hull, 
Liverpool,  London,  Batavia,  New  York  and  the  West 
Indies;  and  here  several  times  a  day  the  small  ex- 
cursion boats  arrive  and  depart  for  Alkmaar,  Zaan- 
dam  and  other  places  on  the  Zaan,  to  Ymuiden  on 
the  North  Sea;  and  to  Maarken  and  other  points 
in  the  Zuider  Zee.  Last,  but  by  no  means  least  in 
interest,  many  canal  boats  load  and  unload  at  this 
spot. 

Amsterdam  is  entirely  indebted  to  man  for  her 
existence.  There  is  not  an  inch  of  her  ground  that 
is  not  made.  The  ninety  islands  on  which  the  city 
is  built  are  bound  together  and  artificially  consoli- 
dated by  bundles  of  stout,  long  piles,  and  every  build- 
ing rests  on  a  solid  foundation  of  piles.  For  the 
Royal  Palace  on  the  Darn,  no  less  than  13,659  piles 
were  required. 

The  fact  that  Amsterdam  is  built  on  islands  and 
canals  has  given  the  city  the  sobriquet  of  the  "  Venice 
of  the  North."  Altogether,  there  are  more  than  fifty 
canals,  which  are  bordered  with  trees  and  crossed  by 
bridges.  On  the  east  and  west  of  the  city,  marshy 
lands  have  been  converted  into  parks  and  polders; 
while  the  new  quarter,  containing  the  JRyks  and 
Stedelylc  Museums  and  many  fine  residential  streets, 
has  been  for  many  years  pushing  itself  southwards 
far  beyond  the  Singelgracht 

Railways  run  along  the  dykes  on  the  east  and  north 
to  serve  the  docks  and  basins  that  line  the  Y;  and 
an  enormous  dyke  of  granite  with  powerful  sluices 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  immense  gates,  bars  the  entrance  of  the  Y  at 
Schellingwoude,  in  order  to  protect  the  great  North 
Sea  Canal  from  the  Zuider  Zee.  The  middle  of  this 
dyke  is  broken  with  openings  for  the  passage  of  ves- 
sels entering  or  departing  from  Amsterdam;  and 
here  are  sluices  for  regulating  the  amount  of  water 
in  the  canal.  The  North  Sea  Canal,  which  has  re- 
stored so  much  of  Amsterdam's  old  prosperity,  be- 
gins at  Schellingwoude  and  cuts  through  the  coun- 
try in  a  straight  line  to  the  North  Sea, — a  distance 
of  about  fifteen  miles.  At  this  end,  the  Canal  is 
protected  by  two  enormous  breakwaters,  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  long,  and  two  enormous  locks,  near  one 
of  which  is  the  comparatively  new  town  of  Ymuiden, 
to  which  steamboats  run  several  times  a  day  from 
Amsterdam  through  the  canal.  This  canal  was 
formed  by  draining  the  shallow  basin  of  the  Y  into 
this  long  ditch;  but  enough  water  is  left  at  Amster- 
dam to  form  three  large  basins,  or  ports,  that  are 
able  to  accommodate  a  thousand  large  ships.  The 
canal  cost  forty  million  florins. 

On  a  small  promontory  directly  opposite  the  Cen- 
tral Eailway  Station  where  the  old  Tolhuis,  or  cus- 
tom-house, is  situated,  are  the  gigantic  gates,  called 
the  Willeiiis-Sluis,  that  bar  the  entrance  to  the  North 
Holland  Canal,  which,  constructed  in  1819-1825, 
extends  all  the  way  from  Amsterdam  to  Helder,  a 
distance  of  fifty  miles. 

Another  large  canal — the  Merwede  Canal — con- 
nects Amsterdam  with  Utrecht. 

You  will  therefore  see  that  by  opening  the  sluice- 
130 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

gates  the  surrounding  country  could  be  completely 
flooded  at  need ;  and  that  just  as  Antwerp  guards  all 
Belguim,  Amsterdam  still  remains  the  central  fort- 
ress,— the  redoubt  of  Holland. 

The  early  history  of  Amsterdam  is  enveloped  in 
darkness.  All  we  know  about  its  origin  is  that  in 
1200,  during  the  reign  of  Thierry  VII. ,  Count  of 
Holland,  a  dyke  or  dam  was  made  at  the  union  of 
the  river  Amstel  and  an  arm  of  the  Zuider  Zee. 
Tradition  says  that  some  fishermen  and  a  dog  were 
thrown  on  the  shore  here  and  finding  such  abundant 
rewards  for  their  nets,  built  a  little  settlement  and 
placed  in  its  midst  a  chapel  consecrated  to  St.  Olaf, 
patron  saint  of  Norway.  Be  this  as  it  may,  at  any 
rate  the  Frisians,  who  had  flourishing  maritime 
towns  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries,  for  some 
reason  emigrated  in  crowds  to  the  southern  coasts 
of  Holland  where  the  sea  was  more  open  and  the 
country  more  protected. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  Amster- 
dam was  nothing  more  than  a  fishing-village,  in  the 
middle  of  which  the  first  known  lord,  Gysbrecht  or 
Gilbert,  had  a  fortified  castle,  which  he  called  Amstel 
Vesten.  His  successor,  Gysbrecht,  added  some  tow- 
ers and  bridges,  and  made  a  town  of  the  settle- 
ment. The  oldest  document  in  which  the  name  Am- 
sterdam appears  is  a  charter  of  1275  given  by  Count 
Floris  V.  granting  trading  rights.  In  1296,  owing 
to  the  unfortunate  murder  of  the  Count  of  Holland, 
the  little  town  was  confiscated  by  William  III.  and 
joined  to  his  own  territory  in  order  to  punish  Gya- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

brecht  Van  Amstel  for  his  complicity  in  the  murder 
of  Count  Floris.  William  IV.  gave  it  a  municipal 
constitution  in  1340,  and  permitted  the  inhabitants 
to  enlarge  their  town.  In  1380,  they  began  to  sur- 
round it  with  a  wooden  palisade,  which  in  the  course 
of  two  years  was  replaced  by  a  brick  wall.  The 
boundaries  were  enlarged  in  1400,  1462,  1593,  1612, 
and  1658,  in  which  last  named  year  it  was  twenty 
times  larger  than  it  was  in  1300. 

More  than  half  destroyed  by  a  fire  in  the  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  she  recovered  from  this 
disaster,  surrounded  herself  with  ramparts  and  tow- 
ers and  constantly  increased  in  importance.  She  had 
joined  the  Hanseatic  League  (see  page  164)  as  early 
as  1369  and  had  become  the  most  influential  city  in 
the  Netherlands,  possessing  a  great  portion  of  the 
trade  of  the  Baltic.  Her  seal  consisted  of  a  ship, 
which  held  two  men  and  a  dog,  in  allusion  to  the 
story  of  her  foundation  and  symbolic  of  valor  and 
vigilance. 

In  1512,  the  inhabitants  of  Guelderland  surprised 
Amsterdam.  They  numbered  about  two  thousand, 
and  after  burning  the  suburbs  and  the  twenty-two 
ships  in  the  harbor,  withdrew  laden  with  booty. 

In  1525,  the  Anabaptists,  led  by  the  famous  John 
of  Leyden,  tried  to  capture  Amsterdam.  Six  hun- 
dred of  them  entered  the  town  at  night  and  attacked 
the  Town-hall.  The  citizens  tried  to  barricade  the 
streets  around  the  Dam  with  sacks  of  flour  and  bags 
of  hops,  but  when  dawn  showed  them  that  their  ene- 
mies were  fewer  than  they  had  feared,  they  forced 

132 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

the  Anabaptists  into  the  Town-hall  and  massacred 
them. 

Ten  years  later,  these  fanatics  returned,  after  hav- 
ing ravaged  Flanders,  Holland  and  Friesland,  and 
entered  the  city  with  the  most  frightful  cries,  men- 
acing the  Koman  Catholics  with  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  if  they  did  not  abjure  their  faith;  but  the 
inhabitants  pursued  them  vigorously  and  those  that 
were  taken  perished  by  the  sword,  fire,  water  and 
rope. 

Under  the  Spanish  rule  and  during  the  period 
that  Holland  was  struggling  for  her  independence, 
Amsterdam  was  the  one  town  of  this  country  that 
from  1572  to  1578  sided  with  Spain  and  opposed  the 
Reformation.  All  the  attempts  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange  to  win  Amsterdam  were  futile ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  Peace  of  Ghent  in  1576,  the  civil  au- 
thorities repulsed  Protestantism  with  the  greatest 
vigor.  On  Jan.  15,  1576,  however,  an  arrangement 
was  made  called  the  Satisfaction  of  Amsterdam,  in 
which  the  nominal  supremacy  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  was  recognized  and  also  tolerance  for 
the  reformed  religion. 

But  notwithstanding  the  rapid  progress  of  Prot- 
estantism the  magistrates,  who  were  all  Roman  Cath- 
olics, resisted  the  movement;  and  a  municipal  revo- 
lution had  to  take  place  before  they  yielded.  On 
May  28,  1578,  they  returned  to  the  town  with  a 
number  of  priests  and  senators ;  and,  since  that  date, 
Amsterdam,  having  been  completely  won  over  to  the 
Protestant  cause,  took  part  in  the  general  politics  of 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Holland.  About  this  time  also  the  population  began 
to  increase;  and  from  1585  to  1595  the  territory 
doubled.  However,  in  1602,  the  plague  carried  off 
60,000  inhabitants  in  a  few  months. 

Antwerp  having  fallen  under  Spanish  rule  was  for- 
saken by  many  of  her  best  citizens,  many  of  whom, 
including  numbers  of  merchants,  left  it  to  establish 
themselves  in  Amsterdam  which,  by  1622,  numbered 
about  100,000  inhabitants.  But  above  all  else  what 
contributed  to  Amsterdam's  commercial  prosperity 
was  the  closing  of  the  Scheldt,  stipulated  for  in  the 
Treaty  of  Minister  in  1648,  which  was  Antwerp's 
ruin,  and  her  rival's  great  opportunity. 

At  this  period  Amsterdam  also  benefited  by  the 
influx  of  a  great  number  of  Portuguese  Jews,  who 
brought  with  them  the  art  of  diamond-cutting  and 
polishing,  which  became  one  of  the  city's  great 
sources  of  wealth.  In  fact,  Amsterdam  became  a 
Paradise  of  Jews.  At  a  later  period,  the  city  also 
benefited  by  the  advent  of  the  Huguenot  refugees 
from  France. 

Jealous  rivals  on  several  occasions  attempted  to 
take  Amsterdam,  among  them  the  Earl  of  Leicester, 
who  planned  a  surprise  which  was  anticipated. 
Amsterdam's  worst  troubles  occurred,  however,  in 
the  second  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  a  period 
of  wars.  William  II.,  Prince  of  Orange,  who  re- 
garded this  city  as  an  enemy  to  his  house,  attempted 
an  attack,  and  his  troops  marched  rapidly  and 
secretly  to  Amsterdam.  However,  the  city  was  pre- 
pared :  the  dykes  were  opened  and  the  Count  of 

134 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

sau,  who  led  the  expedition,  was  forced  to  retire. 
William  II.,  however,  took  the  management  of 
affairs  away  from  the  magistrates  who  were  at 
enmity  with  him.  Many  companies  of  soldiers,  con- 
sisting of  from  twenty  to  fifty-four  men,  were 
formed. 

In  1672,  Amsterdam  checked  the  victorious  ad- 
vance of  Louis  XIV.'s  army  by  opening  the  dykes 
and  flooding  the  country ;  and  at  the  negotiations  for 
peace  Amsterdam  protested  against  the  hard  terms 
imposed  by  Louis  XIV.  and  consented  to  recognize 
William  III.  as  Stadhouder.  A  few  years  later, 
Amsterdam  turned  to  great  advantage  Louis  XIV. 'a 
mistake  in  persecuting  his  Protestant  subjects;  and 
issued  an  edict  in  1681  guaranteeing  to  all  who 
wished  to  emigrate  the  right  of  citizenship  and  spe- 
cial facilities  for  the  making  and  disposing  of  their 
wares.  The  city  also  built  a  thousand  houses  for 
them  to  dwell  in  and  after  the  [Revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  (1685)  artisans  and  merchants 
flocked  to  Amsterdam  in  great  numbers. 

Amsterdam's  patriotic  resolution  to  defy  Louis 
XIV.  was  detrimental  to  her  commercial  interests, 
and  involved  her  in  the  war  until  1712. 

Amsterdam's  prosperity  declined  in  the  eight- 
eenth century  especially  during  the  war  with  Eng- 
land in  1780-1784.  In  1787,  the  Prussian  army 
that  re-established  William  V.  as  Stadhouder  entered 
Amsterdam  without  any  difficulty  and  the  city  capit- 
ulated. In  1795,  the  French  Republicans  led  by 
Dutch  Exiles  took  possession  of  the  country  and 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

founded  the  Batavian  Republic  with  Schimmel- 
penninck  as  president  with  the  old  title  of  Grand 
Pensionary.  The  French  army  entered  on  Jan.  19, 
of  that  year  led  hy  Pichegru ;  and,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  dykes  were  frozen,  there  was  no  way  of 
opposing  his  forces.  A  liberty  pole  was  set  up  in 
front  of  St.  Antonieswaag  in  the  Nieuwe  Markt,  and 
crowds  flocked  to  the  Dam  and  lined  the  windows 
of  the  public  buildings  and  private  houses  to  see  the 
French  army  enter  the  city.  The  Batavian  Republic 
did  not,  however,  last  very  long,  for  Louis  Napoleon 
Tfras  made  King  of  Holland  in  1806.  The  latter  im- 
mediately removed  the  seat  of  government  to  Am- 
sterdam, which  therefore  became  the  capital  of  the 
:new  kingdom.  The  populace,  however,  refused  to 
allow  him  to  govern  absolutely  and  attacked  one  of 
the  servants  of  the  French  establishment,  whereupon 
Napoleon  ordered  Marshal  Oudinot  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  city.  The  French  entered  on  July  3, 
1810,  and  on  July  19,  Holland  being  united  to 
France,  Amsterdam  was  made  the  third  city  of  the 
Empire,  ranking  next  to  Rome  and  Paris.  On  July, 
14,  1810,  Lebrun  held  a  sort  of  court  there  as  gov- 
ernor. Napoleon  passed  through  Amsterdam  in  Oc- 
tober, 1811;  but  was  coldly  welcomed  by  his  brother 
subjects. 

"  The  picture  of  the  emperor  crouching  at  the  bot- 
tom of  his  carriage,  his  great  head  dropped  between 
his  shoulders,  with  lowering  brow,  pallid  face  and 
watchful  eyes  passing  rapidly  through  a  sullen  and 
silent  crowd,  is  that  of  the  foreign  tyrant,  who,  in 

136 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

spite  of  all  his  armies  and  all  his  fame,  is  made  to 
feel  the  hatred  of  a  people  he  has  tied  like  a  captive 
horde  to  his  conquering  car.  That  moment  marked 
the  lowest  point  in  the  fall  of  Amsterdam.  The  veri- 
est dolt  on  the  Dam  must  have  felt  that  Amsterdam 
was  in  chains. 

"  And  now  the  iron  entered  her  soul ;  regiments 
from  all  the  armies  in  Europe  marched  through  her 
streets,  and  were  quartered  on  her  people,  who  for 
some  years  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  constant  fear 
and  anxiety.  Now  it  was  the  French  who  were  the 
masters,  now  the  Orange  party,  now  the  Allies.  If 
the  French,  then  there  were  spies  during  the  day  and 
sudden  arrests  in  the  dead  of  the  night;  if  the  na- 
tional party,  no  one  dared  appear  without  an  Orange 
rosette  j  if  the  Allies,  then  possibly  a  red-eyed  Cos- 
sack sat  in  the  house  and  called  loudly  for  snaps. 
Every  morning  there  was  the  clatter  of  cavalry  exer- 
cising their  horses  up  and  down  the  streets,  or  the 
noise  of  the  infantry  going  through  the  drill.  Every 
evening  the  tambour  was  beaten  in  all  the  quarters 
of  the  town.  And  the  worst  was  that  all  these  sol- 
diers were  foreign,  and  represented  the  fact  that  the 
liberties  of  Amsterdam  were  no  longer  their  own,  but 
depended  upon  whosoever  came  forth  victorious  in 
the  struggle. 

"  Every  great  change  in  Europe  vibrated  through 
the  homes  of  Amsterdam.  When  the  Empire  began 
to  fall  the  French  inhabitants  left  the  city  in  droves, 
the  houses  of  those  who  sympathized  with  them  were 
sacked  and  the  prisons  forced  open.  Several  pitiable 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

objects  were  brought  forth  from  the  prisons  under 
the  Amstel-sluis. 

"  The  18th  of  June,  1815,  was  a  day  of  great  ex- 
citement in  Amsterdam.  The  news  of  the  various 
changes  at  Waterloo  were  signalled  across  the  Neth- 
erlands from  steeple  to  steeple.  The  signal  in  Am- 
sterdam was  constantly  changing  according  to  the 
fortunes  of  the  day,  and  when  at  last  the  Dutch  flag 
remained  flying,  the  people  wrung  each  other's  hands, 
crying  with  delight  '  Oranje  boven!  Oranje  boven! ' 

"  The  historical  family,  the  only  symbol  Holland 
possesses  of  national  unity,  returned;  and  Amster- 
dam entered  on  its  third  and  present  phase,  that  of 
being  simply  the  largest  city  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hol- 
land." * 

Lebrun  retired  to  Utrecht;  and  "William  I.,  King  of 
Holland  and  Prince  of  Orange,  entered  Amsterdam. 

Its  trade  was  much  affected  by  the  Continental 
blockade ;  but  after  peace  was  restored  and  the  House 
of  Orange  enjoyed  its  own  again,  its  prosperity  was 
assured.  In  1814,  the  Bank  of  the  Netherlands, 
modelled  on  the  Bank  of  England,  was  established. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  North  Sea  Canal  Amster- 
dam has  recovered  her  old  commercial  supremacy. 

The  formation  of  the  East  India  Company  and 
the  West  India  Company  made  Amsterdam  the 
greatest  mercantile  city  in  Europe  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  nothing  seemed  to  affect  her  prosperity. 

"In  1602  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  was 
formed.  Amboyna  and  the  Moluccas  were  wrested 

*  Richard  Heath. 
138 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

from  the  Spaniards,  and  in  a  short  time  the  Dutch 
had  factories  and  fortifications  from  the  Tigris  in 
the  Persian  Gulf  along  the  coasts  and  islands  of 
India  as  far  as  Japan.  Alliances  were  formed  with 
several  Indian  princes  on  the  coast  of  Ceylon,  and 
they  were  themselves  masters  in  various  districts  of 
Malabar  and  Coromandel,  and  of  great  part  of  the 
island  of  Java.  The  West  India  Company  was 
established  in  1621.  In  fifteen  years  the  Dutch  had 
conquered  the  greater  part  of  Brazil  and  had  fitted 
out  eight  hundred  trading  and  war  ships  at  the  ex- 
pense of  ninety  millions  of  florins,  which  immense 
outlay  they  had  recouped  by  the  capture  of  five  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  Spanish  and  Portuguese  ships. 

"  Speculative  trade,  it  has  been  said,  almost  seems 
to  have  been  born  at  Amsterdam.  Let  the  scarcity 
of  grain  be  what  it  might  in  any  of  the  four  quarters 
of  the  globe,  men  could  always  find  plenty  in  Amster- 
dam; whatever  their  wants  they  could  always  sup- 
ply them  in  Amsterdam.  Its  streets  were  like  a 
perpetual  fair. 

"  An  Italian  describes  the  city  in  1618  as  the  very 
image  of  Venice  in  its  prime.  It  spread  out  fan- 
shaped,  its  base  line  on  the  Y  being  a  long  series  of 
quays  and  docks,  backed  by  tall  warehouses  of  which 
little  could  be  seen  but  an  occasional  gable  roof,  so 
hidden  were  they  by  groves  of  masts  (which  towards 
the  centre  thickened  into  a  forest) ,  by  large  sails  and 
a  complete  jungle  of  huge  cranes  and  drawbridges. 
High  above  the  city  rose  numerous  quaint  steeples 
and  yet  more  ancient  towers,  and  Amsterdam's  Ital- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

ian  prototype  could  never  have  presented  a  more 
bewitching  picture  than  when  on  one  of  those  mar- 
vellous nights,  not  infrequent  in  Holland,  the  moon 
lit  up  the  scene  with  a  light,  whiter,  purer  than  that 
of  electricity,  and  of  a  living  beauty  the  very  reverse 
of  electricity's  ghastly  glare.  The  black  hulls,  masts, 
rigging  and  cordage  stood  out  vividly  as  in  a  photo- 
graph; the  beacons  cast  their  ruddy  glare  into  the 
waters,  and  at  midnight  the  carillon  floated  over  the 
city,  followed  by  the  striking  of  innumerable  clocks. 

"  Morning  broke,  and  with  the  dawn  began  another 
day's  whirl  and  fret  of  business.  Men,  women  and 
children — of  all  lands,  nations  and  tongues — were  in 
full  activity.  The  shipwrights'  hammers,  the  creak- 
ing of  the  cranes,  the  seamen's  oaths,  the  squabbles  of 
the  market-place,  the  gabbling  in  the  schools,  the 
clatter  of  the  sleighs,  the  chaffering,  badgering,  bully- 
ing, the  slave-driving  going  on  without  a  moment's 
cessation  upon  all  the  quays,  in  every  warehouse  and 
from  every  street,  proclaimed  Amsterdam  the  mart 
of  the  world,  the  centre  of  its  business. 

"  The  head  of  the  DamraJc,  a  short  roadstead 
formed  by  the  mouth  of  the  Amstel,  was  crossed  by 
a  bridge  which  recalled  the  Kialto.  Here  a  crowd 
of  men,  the  most  varied  in  nationality  and  tradition, 
were  all  one  in  their  worship  of  the  presiding  genius 
of  the  city.  The  bridge  stood  in  front  of  its  temple. 
The  Exchange  was  the  true  centre  of  the  religion  of 
Amsterdam.  Hard  by  were  the  representatives  of  the 
two  subsidiary  forces  in  the  life  of  the  city — politics 
and  Calvinistic  Christianity. 

140 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

"  The  Stadthuis,  an  enormous  structure  of  which 
the  forest  of  piles  necessary  for  its  foundation  had 
cost  £100,000  sterling,  possessed  an  interior  almost 
encased  in  marble — floors,  walls,  pillars  and  ceilings. 
Versailles  cost  £800,000,  the  Escurial  £1,000,000, 
St.  Paul's  £1,500,000;  but  the  burgher  government 
of  Amsterdam  spent  £3,000,000  on  the  shrine  of 
their  politics,  making  it  the  fit  emblem  of  their  pol- 
icy— hard,  superficial  and  stupidly  wasteful.  In  its 
vaults  were  the  treasures  of  their  famous  bank,  to  all 
appearance  an  infinite  hoard  of  wealth. 

"  The  treasure-house  of  Europe,  it  was  the  reser- 
voir into  which  fell  the  many  golden  streams  which 
came  pouring  in  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 

"  This  wealth  gave  an  enormous  impetus  to  such 
arts  as  the  traditions  and  peculiar  temperament  of 
the  Hollanders  most  encouraged.  Profoundly  re- 
ligious, the  soul  of  the  Netherlands  people  had  from 
very  early  times  found  expression  in  poetry  and 
painting.  Amsterdam  was  the  centre  of  literary  life 
before  the  war,  its  inhabitants  cultivating  their  poetic 
gifts  in  their  famous  Guild  of  the  Eglantine.  After 
the  fall  of  Antwerp,  its  Guilds  of  the  Sweet-brier 
and  the  Fig-Tree  emigrated  to  the  northern  city."  * 

Being  the  headquarters  of  the  large  shipping  com- 
panies and  the  great  mart  for  the  colonial  exports 
from  the  Dutch  colonies,  it  was  only  natural  that 
Amsterdam  should  become  the  great  money-market 
of  the  Netherlands.     The  famous  Bank  of  Amster- 
dam opened  in  1609 — the  same  year  that  Henry 
*  Richard  Heath. 
141 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Hudson,  sent  out  by  the  West  India  Company  from 
Amsterdam,  discovered  the  Island  of  Manhattan — 
was  not  closed  until  1796.  Her  Exchange  was  fa- 
mous throughout  Europe. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  Seventeenth  Century  the 
merchants  of  Amsterdam  met  every  day  in  good 
weather  on  the  large  bridge,  and  in  rain  or  snow  in 
the  Oude  Kerk,  where  they  were  called  together  by 
the  sound  of  the  organ;  but  in  1613  they  had  their 
new  Exchange.  This  was  a  handsome  building  with 
a  court,  arcades  and  galleries,  half  of  it  sheltered  and 
half  of  it  open  to  the  sun  and  air,  and  similar  in  ap- 
pearance to  the  famous  Exchange  in  Antwerp,  that  is 
still  standing.  You  can  see  it  in  the  celebrated  pict- 
ure of  the  Dam  by  Berck-Heyde  in  the  Kyks 
Museum. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  century,  a  kind  of  Ex- 
change was  held  in  the  Dam,  in  front  of  what  is  now 
the  Palace,  from  ten  o'clock  till  noon.  At  twelve 
o'clock,  the  real  Bourse  opened  and  remained  so  for 
two  hours. 

In  the  "  Venice  of  the  North  "  the  greater  num- 
ber of  the  streets  are  water  streets  running  alongside 
of  the  canals  that  are  bordered  by  tall  trees  and 
paved  with  very  rough  cobble  stones.  There  are  as 
a  rule  no  sidewalks  and  the  houses  are  placed  upon 
the  pavement  that  extends  to  the  coping  of  the  canals. 
Carriages,  wagons,  pedestrians  and  stray  dogs  all 
mingle  in  the  street.  The  canals  are  crossed  by 
bridges,  which  are  more  or  less  ornate;  and  some- 
times people  ferry  themselves  across  in  little  boats. 

142 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

The  houses  are,  as  a  rule,  built  of  brown  or  black 
bricks,  very  heavily  seamed  with  white  mortar  and 
heavily  ornamented  with  white  cornices  and  sills  for 
the  windows.  Heavy  white  cornices  also  adorn  the 
roofs,  which  generally  terminate  in  a  pointed  gable, 
or  are  "  crow  stepped."  All  lean  slightly  forward 
and  are  supplied  with  a  crane  for  hoisting  goods  to 
the  top  windows.  The  canals  average  three  feet  in 
depth.'  Some  of  them  are  narrow,  but  others  are 
quite  wide.  The  Heerengracht  and  Keizersgracht, 
which  are  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  are  bor- 
dered on  either  side  with  rows  of  luxuriant  elms. 
These  two  canals  have  always  been  the  centres  of 
wealth  and  fashion  and  still  flo~W  with  pride  in  front 
of  old  mansions  that  hint  of  Amsterdam's  glorious 
days  of  the  Seventeenth  Century. 

As  you  leave  the  more  crowded  streets  and  canals 
of  the  old  city,  pretty  villas  with  gardens  sloping  to 
the  water's  edge  become  frequent.  Those  on  the 
Singelgracht  are  especially  homelike  and  attractive. 
Beyond  the  Singelgracht  is  the  new  quarter  of  the 
town,  where  the  streets  bear  the  names  of  famous 
painters,  such  as  Paulus  Potter,  Hobbema,  Jacob 
Van  Kampen,  Quellin,  Gerard  Dow,  Albert  Cuyp, 
and  Jan  Steen.  Canals  are  less  frequent  and  the 
houses  more  modern  in  appearance  and  consist 
largely  of  apartments. 

It  is  hard  to  realize  how  much  use  people  in  Am- 
sterdam make  of  the  boat.  It  takes  the  place  of  the 
cart  or  wagon.  The  gardener  brings  his  fruits,  flow- 
ers and  vegetables  to  market  by  boat;  the  dairyman 

143 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

his  cheeses,  and  the  farmer  his  milk,  in  great  oak 
buckets  with  copper  hoops  and  handles.  On  quarter 
days,  when  people  move,  the  furniture  is  carried 
down  the  canals  from  the  old  to  the  new  dwelling  by 
boats;  and  last,  but  not  least,  there  are  boats  espe- 
cially employed  for  passenger-service.  These  are 
called  trekschuyten  and  are  about  thirty  feet  long. 
A  sort  of  long  wooden  house  runs  nearly  the  whole 
length  of  the  flat  keel,  and  is  usually  painted  green. 
The  roof  is  flat  and  covered  with  a  layer  of  pounded 
shells.  The  windows,  four  or  six  on  a  side,  have  little 
panes  and  are  generally  hung  with  red  or  white  cur- 
tains. Sometimes  a  pot  of  bright  flowers  stands  on 
the  sill.  The  house  is  divided  into  two  compart- 
ments, or  cabins,  which  are  comfortably  furnished. 
The  rest  of  the  space  is  filled  with  bales,  boxes  and 
barrels,  and  the  poop  is  given  up  to  the  travellers  and 
helmsman.  In  front  of  the  boat  is  the  mast  which  is 
lowered  at  every  bridge  and  to  which  a  rope  is  fast- 
ened. The  other  end  of  the  rope  is  tied  to  a  horse 
that  walks  along  the  canal  pulling  the  boat.  When 
the  irekschuyi  arrives  at  a  town,  the  rider  dismounts 
and  unfastens  the  horse ;  the  boatman  then,  by  means 
of  a  long  pole,  pushes  his  boat  through  the  crowded 
mass  of  craft  to  the  dock  he  requires.  Some  of  these 
boats  are  painted  a  bright  blue  and  are  ornamented 
with  stripes  or  bands  of  red  and  all  have  a  very 
domestic  air,  for  the  people  are  often  seen  at  the  win- 
dows and  on  the  roof,  smoking,  drinking  tea,  washing 
dishes,  or  drying  clothes,  while  the  trekschuyi  is  lying 
at  the  dock.  The  Dutch  love  color  and  paint  their 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

boats  as  they  do  their  windmills,  in  very  bright  col- 
ors, which  have  a  very  cheerful  effect  as  they  pass 
through  the  green  meadows  beneath  the  ever-chang- 
ing sky ;  and  their  reflections  throw  lovely  hues  upon 
the  tranquil  waters.  The  sail-boats  are  also  brightly 
painted  and  carry  large  triangular  red  sails  that  the 
sun  and  rain  and  winds  have  turned  into  a  beautiful 
shade  of  terra-cotta.  Instead  of  a  centre  board,  they 
are  supplied  with  a  sort  of  movable  paddle  on  each 
side  like  a  fish's  fin,  and  when  one  of  these  Flying 
Dutchmen  comes  skimming  over  the  Zaan  or  Zuider 
Zee  or  down  the  North  Sea  Canal  with  her  sail  belly- 
ing in  a  stiff  breeze  and  her  sharp  prow  cleaving 
the  water,  she  is  a  very  curious  and  pretty  sight. 

Little  barges  piled  high  with  barrels,  or  cheeses, 
or  bales  poled  by  one  man  are  often  moored  in  front 
of  the  warehouses  where  workmen  in  blue  blouses  are 
busy  unloading  or  loading  them;  and  wherever  you 
go,  you  see  masts  and  sails  appearing  in  the  most 
unexpected  manner  behind  the  bridges,  in  front  of 
the  houses  and  along  the  streets,  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  city. 

Another  characteristic  sight  in  the  streets  of  Am- 
sterdam is  the  cart  drawn  by  one,  two  or  three  dogs 
and  laden  with  milk-cans  or  piled  high  with  vege- 
tables and  flowers.  By  its  side  walk  peasant  women 
in  their  quaint  costume.  Soldiers  are  much  in  evi- 
dence; and  you  also  see  women  wearing  the  curious 
metal  helmet  headdress;  Lutheran  preachers  in  their 
black  knee  trousers,  long-tailed  coats,  shovel  hats 
and  low  shoes;  and  young  peasant  women  in  short 

145 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

striped  skirts,  low-necked  black  bodices,  white  head- 
dresses, and  coral  necklaces.  The  latter  are  strik- 
ingly healthful  and  ruddy  of  complexion  and  their 
bare  red  arms  are  amazing.  It  is  noticeable  how  the 
streets  fill  as  the  afternoon  fades  into  twilight.  Then 
the  shops  become  illuminated  and  the  cafes  fill. 
People  sit  rows  deep  in  the  broad  windows  of  the 
large  cafes,  particularly  on  Kalver  Straat — Amster- 
dam's Fifth  Avenue  and  Regent  Street — to  watch 
the  endless  procession  that  moves  both  up  and  down 
the  sidewalks  and  the  centre  of  the  street,  from 
which  vehicles  are  prohibited  at  night.  Innumer- 
able little  cafes  spring  up  on  the  street  behind  green 
arbors,  containing  perhaps  only  half  a  dozen  little 
tables,  where  family  parties  of  men,  women  and 
children  sit  drinking  sweet  syrups,  smoking  and  en- 
joying the  passing  show. 

The  two  principal  thoroughfares  are  Damrak 
Straat  and  Kalver  Straat,  both  of  which  lead  into 
the  Dam,  the  large  square,  which  is  the  centre  of 
business  life.  On  our  way  up  Damrak  Straat  from 
the  Central  Railway  Station,  we  pass  the  New  Ex- 
change (Neue  Beurs).  This  also  faces  Warmoes 
Straat,  where  rises  the  Oude  Kerk  whose  jangling 
chimes  we  constantly  hear  and  whose  splendid  old 
Gothic  tower  dominates  every  distant  view  of  Am- 
sterdam. It  was  erected  about  1300  and  has  a 
wooden  vaulted  roof  supported  by  forty-two  slender 
pillars.  There  are  some  beautiful  stained-glass  win- 
dows, particularly  those  depicting  the  life  of  the  Vir- 
gin, dating  from  1555,  the  work  of  Pieter  Aertsen, 

146 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

a  Dutch  artist  who  -was  familiarly  called  "  Long  Pe- 
ter." The  Oude  Kerk  contains  monuments  to  some 
of  Holland's  naval  heroes,  including  one  to  Admiral 
Yan  Heemskerk  who  fell  at  the  Battle  of  Gibraltar 
in  1607  and  to  other  Dutch  celebrities.  Behind  the 
choir,  Philip  II.  signed  the  Treaty  of  Miinster,  by 
which  he  recognized  the  independence  of  the  United 
Provinces  and  renounced  all  rights  in  them. 

As  we  walk  along  Warmoes  Straat,  which  will 
lead  us  to  the  Dam,  we  notice  shops  that  sell  food 
of  all  kinds  as  well  as  clothing,  and  many  hotels,  res- 
taurants and  cafes.  Among  the  latter  is  the  cele- 
brated Cafe  Krasnapolsky,  one  of  the  largest  in  Eu- 
rope. Streams  of  people  are  always  passing  in  and 
out.  Flowers,  mirrors  and  electric  lights  render  the 
rooms  pleasant  and  attractive.  Billiard-rooms  and 
a  fine  conservatory  contribute  their  pleasures. 

We  now  reach  the  Dam,  where  the  principal 
streets  converge  and  where  all  the  tram  cars  circle 
around  the  tall  monument  surmounted  by  a  figure  of 
Concordia,  erected  in  1856,  to  commemorate  the 
events  of  1830-31.  The  buildings  group  well  here. 
The  most  important  are  the  Nieuwe  Kerk  and  the 
Royal  Palace. 

The  Nieuwe  Kerk,  which  is  only  called  new  be- 
cause it  is  a  hundred  years  younger  than  the  Oude 
Kerk,  is  one  of  the  most  important  churches  in  Hol- 
land, and  was  built  in  1408.  It  is  a  Gothic  edifice 
with  side  chapels,  and  its  western  tower,  begun  in 
1565,  is  still  unfinished. 

The  Nieuwe  Kerk  suffered  from  fire  in  1421,  1578 
147 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  1645,  but  it  has  been  well  restored.  It  is  more 
interesting  within  than  without,  for  the  nave  is  cov- 
ered with  a  vaulted  wooden  ceiling;  some  fine  old 
windows  represent  the  siege  of  Leyden  in  1573-74; 
and  there  is  a  beautifully  carved  pulpit  of  1649  by 
Vinckenbrinck.  The  Nieuwe  Kerk  contains  many 
monuments  to  Holland's  great  admirals  and  generals, 
including  one  to  Admiral  de  Ruyter,  who  was 
buried  there  in  1676. 

Amsterdam,  like  every  other  city  in  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, had  to  have  a  fine  Town-hall  in  the  days  of 
her  great  prosperity.  Jacob  van  Campen,  who  built 
the  Mauri tshuis  .and  the  House  in  the  Wood  (see 
page  107),  was  the  architect  and  the  building  was 
begun  in  1648.  It  was  completed  in  1655  and  cost 
the  extraordinary  sum  of  eight  million  florins 
($3,200,000).  The  massive  building  is  264  feet 
long,  207  feet  wide  and  108  feet  high  and  stands  on 
a  foundation  of  13,659  piles.  Reliefs  by  Artus 
Quellin  adorn  the  gables,  the  subjects  of  which  are 
allegorical  allusions  to  the  glories  of  Amsterdam. 
The  cupola,  surmounting  the  roof,  is  crowned  by  a 
lantern,  which  is  topped  by  a  weather-vane  in  the 
shape  of  a  merchantman,  suggested  by  the  crest  in 
the  city's  coat  of  arms.  The  cupola  contains  a  chime 
of  bells  and  offers  to  those  who  care  to  make  the 
rather  difficult  climb  a  very  extensive  and  charming 
view. 

The  walls  of  the  entrance  are  lined  with  white 
marble  and  all  the  apartments  are  ornamented  with 
sculpture  in  marble  by  Artus  Quellin  and  his  pupils, 

148 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

finely  carved  mantel-pieces  and  fine  ceiling  paint- 
ings. The  large  Reception  Room  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  world.  It  is  117  feet  long,  57  feet  broad  and 
100  feet  high.  The  walls  are  lined  from  floor  to 
ceiling  with  white  Italian  marble,  and  the  marble 
floor  is  wonderfully  inlaid  with  copper  stars  repre- 
senting a  planisphere.  This  is  so  precious  a  work  of 
its  kind  that  it  is  always  kept  covered  by  a  fine 
Deventer  carpet.  This  is  a  splendid  specimen  of  the 
weaver's  art,  and  few  realize  what  lies  beneath  it. 
When  Louis  Napoleon  became  King  of  Holland  and 
made  Amsterdam  his  capital,  the  City  presented  the 
Town-hall  to  him  for  a  residence,  since  when  it  has 
remained  the  Royal  Palace  (Het  Paleis).  Some  of 
the  rooms  were  slightly  altered  at  the  time  and  newly 
decorated  in  the  Empire  style.  These  furnishings 
still  remain.  The  Yellow  Tea  Room,  the  Small 
Dining  Room,  the  Large  Dining  Room  (originally 
the  South  Gallery),  the  Queen's  Room,  and  the 
Throne  Room  are  all  shown  to  the  public  and  con- 
tain splendid  chimney-pieces  and  pictures  by  such 
famous  artists  as  Govaert  Elinck,  Ferdinand  Bol 
and  Jan  Lievens. 

When  the  Town-hall  became  the  Palace,  the  old 
Court  of  Admiralty  in  the  Oudezyds-Voorburgwal 
was  made  the  Stadhuis. 

The  old  Exchange  stood  on  the  Dam,  and  its  suc- 
cessor on  the  old  site,  built  in  1845,  was  the  money- 
market  until  the  New  Exchange  was  completed  in 
recent  years. 

Before  the  great  east  and  west  docks  (Ooster  Dole 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  Wester  Dok)  were  built,  ships  were  docked  on 
the  quay  called  Prins-HendriJc-Kade  (formerly  the 
Buitenkant},  which  so  often  figures  in  the  pictures 
of  old  Amsterdam.  A  little  quiet  stroll  along  this 
street  will  repay  the  traveller,  because  there  are  some 
peculiar  old  warehouses  and  dwelling-houses  still 
standing.  Among  the  latter  (No.  131),  is  the  home 
of  the  great  Admiral  de  Ruyter,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears on  the  gable. 

Beyond  this  quay,  facing  the  Open  Haven,  stands 
a  quaint  low  tower  that  was  built  in  1482.  It  re- 
ceived the  name  Sclireyerstoren  (Criers'  or  Weepers' 
Tower)  because  the  friends  and  relatives  of  sea-goers 
used  to  wave  their  tearful  farewells  from  it. 

The  neighboring  church  with  a  dome  and  two  tow- 
ers is  the  Roman  Catholic  St.  Nicholas,  which, 
though  modern,  adds  much  to  the  picturesque  view 
of  Amsterdam  when  the  city  is  approached  from 
theY. 

On  a  very  wide  canal,  leading  from  the  Prins- 
Hendrik-Kade,  and  called  the  Oude  Schans,  there 
stands  another  typical  Dutch  tower,  called  the 
Montalbaans.  Nothing  is  known  about  it  except  that 
it  is  very  old. 

The  Geldersche-Kade  runs  in  a  straight  line  from 
the  Schreyerstoren  to  the  Nieuwe  Marlct,  Amster- 
dam's great  fish  market,  where  we  find  a  very  inter- 
esting relic  of  the  Middle  Ages, — the  old  town  gate 
of  St.  Anthony  (St.  Anthonieswaag),  built  in  1488- 
1585,  and  which  with  its  conical  turrets  reminds  us 
of  the  days  of  chivalry  and  legend.  This  was  long 

150 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

ago  converted  into  a  weigh-house  and  also  used  by 
various  guilds  of  the  town.  The  archives  of  the  city 
are  kept  here. 

From  the  Nieuwe  Markt,  the  Kloveniers-Burg- 
wal  flows  into  the  Binnen-Amstel  and  a  little  street, 
called  Doelen-Straat,  runs  to  the  bridge  that  leads  to 
Sopliia-Plein,  on  which  stands  the  old  Mint  Tower. 
On  the  way,  we  pass  the  Trippenliuis,  an  interesting 
old  house  built  in  1662.  In  it  the  gallery  of  pictures 
was  preserved  before  the  Ryks  Museum  was  built. 

Between  the  Oude  Schans  and  the  Nieuwe  Heer- 
engracht  lies  the  thickly  populated  Jewish  Quarter, 
where  the  children  of  Israel  have  dwelt  for  hundreds 
of  years.  It  is  more  picturesque  than  sanitary.  The 
streets  and  canals  are  narrow  and  winding;  and  the 
houses  are  tall  and  rise  directly  out  of  the  water,  with 
small  windows  from  which  hang  strings  of  garments 
of  all  sizes,  hues  and  shapes  and  rags  of  all  varieties. 
Occasionally  a  window  sill  is  brightened  with  a  pot 
of  blooming  flowers  and  a  bird  in  a  wicker  basket 
or  wire  cage  hangs  mournfully  above  the  sluggish 
water.  Children  and  dogs  play  on  the  door  sills  just 
above  the  water,  and  men  and  women  enliven  the 
streets  as  they  walk  up  and  down  carrying  old 
clothes,  fish,  and  other  foods. 

Among  several  synagogues  there  are  two  that  are 
specially  famous — the  big  one  in  the  Muiderstraat, 
built  in  1670,  said  to  be  in  imitation  of  Solomon's 
Temple,  and  the  Aaron's  and  Moses's  Church.  Those 
who  are  curious  to  see  where  Rembrandt  resided 
from  1640  to  1656  will  find  his  house  marked  with 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

a  tablet  near  the  bridge  on  Jodenbree  Straat.  The 
Jewish  Cemetery  is  also  in  this  quarter  and  is  de- 
scribed as  "  a  dreary  Golgotha  of  a  place  with  the  sea 
wind  soughing  in  the  branches  of  the  trees  and  the 
grass  overgrown  and  rank.  The  grey  mouldering 
tombstones  lean  this  way  and  that,  for  the  ceaseless 
wash  of  the  waves  beneath  is  always  lessening  their 
hold  on  the  earth." 

Diamond-mills  can  be  visited  in  Zwanenburger- 
Straat,  for  this  city  is  still  an  important  market  for 
gems. 

Amsterdam  was  nearly  as  famous  for  the  books 
that  were  published  there  as  for  her  diamond-polish- 
ing. The  celebrated  family  of  printers,  the  Elzevirs, 
famous  for  the  beautiful  editions  they  brought  out, 
established  a  house  in  Amsterdam  in  1638.  In  this 
city  were  also  published  many  books  that  were  pro- 
hibited in  France. 

Amsterdam,  too,  was  a  great  Mecca  for  the  painters 
of  the  Low  Countries.  It  was  Rembrandt's  home  for 
many  years.  Here  he  painted  all  of  his  greatest 
works ;  and  here  also  lived  Thomas  De  Keyser,  Fer- 
dinand Bol,  Paul  Potter  and  Bartholomew  van  der 
Heist  among  others  of  note.  The  wealthy  merchants 
and  burgomasters  were  liberal  patrons  of  art. 

The  gallery  of  Baron  J.  P.  Six  in  the  Heeren- 
gracht,  to  which  visitors  are  admitted,  is  one  of  the 
finest  private  galleries  in  Europe.  It  includes  pict- 
ures and  family  portraits  by  Rembrandt,  Jan 
Lievens,  Govaert  Flinck,  Gerard  Dow,  Nicholas 
Maes,  Paul  Potter,  Jan  Van  Huysum,  Hobbema, 

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The  City  of  Amsterdam 

Ruisdael,  Rachel  Ruysch,  Hondecoeter  and  other 
masters  that  were  owned  by  Jan  Six,  who  was  burgo- 
master of  Amsterdam  from  1691  till  1702.  The  por- 
trait of  the  latter,  painted  by  Rembrandt  in  1656,  is 
one  of  his  most  admired  productions,  and  represents 
the  subject  dressed  in  a  red  cloak  with  gold  embroid- 
ery and  a  large  black  hat.  His  expression  is  rather 
meditative,  while  he  is  pulling  on  his  left  glove  in  the 
most  natural  manner. 

Everybody  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  Amster- 
dam had  his  or  her  portrait  painted ;  and  portraiture 
in  groups  was  a  branch  of  art  that  was  specially 
practiced.  Companies  of  soldiers,  members  of  civic 
guards,  guilds  of  merchants,  and  regents  and  direct- 
ors of  various  medical  and  charitable  societies  were 
in  the  habit  of  clubbing  together  and  having  them- 
selves painted  by  some  artist  of  note  to  hang  upon 
the  walls  of  their  shooting-galleries,  guard-houses 
(doelen),  hospitals,  lecture-rooms  or  guild-halls. 
These  works  are  known  as  "  Regent,"  "  Doelen," 
and  "  Corporation  "  pictures. 

Rembrandt,  Bartholomew  Van  der  Heist,  Frans 
Hals,  Ferdinand  Bol  and  Karel  Dujardin,  brought 
this  class  of  portrait-painting  to  the  pitch  of  artistic 
perfection.  Rembrandt  achieved  his  first  great  fame 
with  the  "Lesson  in  Anatomy"  (see  page  108),  or- 
dered by  the  great  Amsterdam  surgeon,  Dr.  Tulp,  for 
the  Amsterdam  Guild  of  Surgeons ;  and  several  years 
later  he  painted  the  more  famous  "  Night  Watch," 
for  the  Arquebusiers  Shooting  Company,  and  "  The 
Syndics,"  for  the  Guild  of  Clothmakers. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Both  of  these  pictures  are  in  the  Ryks  Museum, 
\vhich  we  will  now  visit.  The  tram  at  the  Dam, 
which  will  take  us  there  in  a  short  time,  crosses  the 
"big  canals  that  girdle  the  city.  We  alight  at  the 
boundary  of  the  old  and  the  new  Amsterdam;  and, 
walking  a  short  distance  along  the  Stadhouders- 
Kade,  are  confronted  by  a  majestic  building  of  red 
brick  with  granite  trimmings,  surmounted  by  two 
towers  and  a  central  gable.  This,  the  great  National 
Museum  of  Holland,  had  its  beginnings  in  1798,  and 
was  opened  in  the  House  in  the  Wood  in  The  Hague 
in  1800;  but  in  1808,  when  Amsterdam  was  made 
the  capital  of  Holland,  the  pictures  were  removed 
from  The  Hague  to  the  Palace  on  the  Dam,  where 
some  old  pictures  owned  by  the  city  of  Amsterdam 
were  also  sent.  In  1814  they  were  all  removed  to 
the  Trippenhuis,  where  they  remained  until  the  Ryks 
Museum  was  opened  in  1885. 

The  picture  gallery,  which  occupies  the  first  floor, 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  Netherlands  and  numbers 
more  than  two  thousand  works,  chiefly  by  Dutch  art- 
ists. The  greatest  treasure  is  Rembrandt's  "  Night 
Watch,"  representing  Captain  Banning  Cocq's  com- 
pany of  archers  leaving  their  headquarters.  The 
captain  and  his  lieutenant  are  in  the  front  and  are 
followed  by  their  soldiers  streaming  out  of  the  guard- 
house in  confusion  and  haste.  Conspicuous  among 
them  are  the  drummer  and  the  standard-bearer. 

The  "  Night  Watch  "  is  one  of  the  most  famous 
pictures  in  the  world.  It  is  not  only  remarkable  for 
the  spirited  motion  of  its  figures,  but  for  its  effects 

154 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

of  light  and  shade.  In  fact,  it  is  so  enveloped  in  twi- 
light that  the  spectator  has  to  look  at  the  picture  for 
some  time  before  the  figures  emerge  from  the  shad- 
ows, and  the  faces,  limbs,  bodies,  drums,  flags  and 
lances  take  definite  shape. 

The  "  Syndics  "  is  also  a  portrait  group.  Five 
Dutch  cloth-merchants,  all  dressed  alike,  in  black, 
with  flat,  white  collars  and  large  black  hats,  are  seated 
around  a  table,  covered  with  a  red  cloth,  verifying 
their  accounts.  Some  critics  consider  it  Rembrandt's 
greatest  picture.  Two  other  great  pictures  of  this 
class  are  by  Bartholomew  Van  der  Heist.  One  rep- 
resents Captain  Roelof  Bicker's  Company  and  con- 
tains thirty-two  life-size  figures.  Captain  Bicker  and 
his  men  are  welcoming  a  new  ensign  in  front  of  a 
tavern  in  the  Geldersche-Kade.  Every  figure  is  dra- 
matic in  pose  and  expression,  and  the  colors  of  the 
costumes  are  very  brilliant  and  varied.  The  other 
work  depicts  a  banquet  of  the  St.  George  Company 
in  their  St.  Jorisdoele,  or  guardhouse,  on  the  Singel- 
gracht,  in  celebration  of  the  Peace  of  Minister.  The 
twenty-five  figures  are  splendidly  dressed,  in  velvet 
and  satin  doublets,  plumed  hats,  lace  collars  and  cuffs, 
sashes,  high  boots  and  golden  spurs,  and  all  are  eating 
and  drinking,  talking  and  laughing,  or  cordially 
grasping  hands.  Marvellously  painted  are  the  vi- 
ands, the  dishes,  the  gold  and  silver  drinking-horns, 
the  tall  wine  glasses,  filled  with  sparkling  liquid,  the 
orange  that  one  man  is  peeling,  the  fowl  that  another 
is  carving,  and  the  pastry  that  a  servant  is  bringing 
in  to  the  feast. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Govaert  Flinck's  "  Arquebusiers  of  Amsterdam," 
celebrating  the  Peace  of  Westphalia,  and  represent- 
ing the  soldiers  issuing  from  their  guardhouse,  is  an- 
other splendid  work  of  this  class.  It  hangs  in  a  spe- 
cial section  devoted  to  "  Regent,"  "  Corporation  " 
and  "  Guild  "  pictures. 

Everybody  pauses  to  look  at  the  "  Floating 
Feather,"  by  Melchior  d'  Hondecoeter.  Here  we  have 
a  group  of  birds  in  a  lovely  park :  on  the  left  stands 
a  large  pelican  and,  behind  it,  a  crane,  a  flamingo 
and  a  cassowary;  on  the  right  are  some  ducks  and 
geese;  and  in  front  of  the  swimming  ducks  the  deli- 
cately painted  feather  floats  on  the  surface  of  the 
quiet  pool. 

The  Ryks  Museum  has  other  treasures  besides  pict- 
ures. There  are  splendid  porcelains  from  the  Orient 
and  native  productions;  wonderful  examples  of  cut 
and  engraved  glass  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries ;  silver  plate  of  rare  workmanship,  includ- 
ing superb  drinking-horns  belonging  to  the  city  of 
Amsterdam  and  which  appear  in  Van  der  Heist's 
pictures  just  described ;  rare  etchings  and  engravings 
by  Rembrandt  and  other  masters ;  carvings  in  wood 
and  ivory;  tapestries,  embroideries  and  lace;  Chi- 
nese and  Japanese  curios  and  articles  in  lacquer; 
brass,  copper  and  bronze  utensils;  small  articles  in 
gold  and  silver  for  household  service  or  personal 
adornment;  jewels  and  costumes;  musical  instru- 
ments; carriages,  sleighs  and  sedan-chairs;  and 
weapons  and  uniforms. 

A  department  illustrating  ecclesiastical  art  from 
156 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

the  eighth  to  the  eighteenth  century  with  reproduc- 
tions and  relics  in  the  way  of  bits  of  architecture, 
church- windows,  furniture,  pulpits,  vestments  and 
sacred  vessels,  occupies  much  space.  The  Naval 
Collection  is  also  extensive.  In  addition  to  captured 
flags  and  trophies  and  relics  of  Dutch  explorers  and 
navigators,  there  are  many  models  of  ships  of  differ- 
ent periods.  The  grounds  on  the  south  side  of  the 
building  are  laid  out  in  imitation  of  a  Dutch  garden 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  with  hedges,  a  maze, 
flowers,  statues  and  vases;  and  contains,  moreover, 
fragments  and  reproductions  of  old  Dutch  buildings 
that  have  been  tastefully  grouped. 

A  few  steps  down  Paulus  Potter  Straat  we  find 
the  Stedelyk  Museum,  dating  from  1892,  and  con- 
taining Dutch  antiquities  of  various  kinds  and  a  gal- 
lery of  modern  Dutch  paintings. 

Amsterdam  is  not  very  rich  in  parks.  The  most 
popular  is  Vondel's  Park,  not  far  from  the  Ryks 
Museum.  It  is  named  in  honor  of  Holland's  most 
celebrated  poet,  Joost  van  den  Vondel,  who  died  in 
1679,  and  whose  tragedy  Gysbrecht  van  Amstel  de- 
scribing Amsterdam's  historical  murder  (see  page 
131)  still  holds  the  stage.  The  Park  contains  a 
statue  of  the  poet,  and  beneath  the  shady  trees  a 
ca/e,  a  restaurant,  and  a  little  pond. 

Willems-Park,  Sarphati  Park,  East  Park  and 
West  Park}  are  somewhat  smaller  open  spaces  than 
are  generally  met  with  in  large  European  cities.  The 
Botanical  Gardens,  south  of  a  little  private  park, 
have  long  been  famous  for  their  palms  and  Victoria 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Regia  house,  and  the  Zoological  Gardens  north  of 
the  Botanic  Gardens  and  south  of  the  Entrepot 
Dole,  embrace  twenty-eight  acres.  People  also  flock 
in  large  numbers  in  the  summer  to  the  Tea  Gardens 
of  the  old  Custom  House  over  the  Y,  crossing  by 
means  of  a  steam  ferry,  to  enjoy  the  music  from  the 
military  band  and  the  beautiful  view  of  Amsterdam. 

Amsterdam,  like  other  cities  in  Holland,  is  ren- 
dered somewhat  independent  of  parks  and  squares  by 
innumerable  retreats  upon  the  canals  in  and  near  the 
city.  Alphonse  Esquiros  notices  that  "  Holland  is 
not  the  only  country  where  you  find  the  most  water, 
but  also  the  one  where  you  find  the  most  motionless 
water.  The  canals  are  arrested  rivers,  and  this  se- 
renity of  the  water  is  related  to  that  of  the  manners, 
habitations  and  countenances.  Near  the  towns 
Chinese  pavilions  are  built  on  the  canal  banks,  where 
people  meet  in  fine  weather  to  drink  tea  and  coffee. 
Some  of  these  pavilions,  whose  roofs  are  covered  with 
varnished  and  glistening  tiles,  bathe  their  base  in 
water  with  a  joyous  air.  In  these  nests,  which  re- 
pose under  an  abundant  verdure,  domestic  happi- 
ness seeks  a  refuge.  The  stranger  who  wanders  about 
alone  regards  with  an  eye  of  envy  these  little  re- 
treats, which  are  so  proud  of  their  cleanliness,  and 
look  at  themselves  in  the  canal  like  a  girl  before  a 
looking-glass.  Here  the  ladies  apply  themselves  to 
needle-work,  while  looking  out  at  the  passing  boats 
and  travellers ;  while  for  the  men  the  hours  evaporate 
in  rings  of  smoke." 

Attractive  and  numerous  are  the  short  trips  that 
158 


The  City  of  Amsterdam 

can  be  made  from  Amsterdam  to  points  of  historic 
interest  and  natural  beauty.  It  is  only  a  short  run 
to  Haarlem  by  the  electric  tram  and  not  three  hours 
to  Alkmaar,  to  which  interesting  old  town  steam- 
boats go  several  times  a  day. 


159 


THE    CITY    OF   HAMBURG 
THE  BEEFSTEAK  TOWN 

THERE  are  two  pictures  of  Hamburg  that  recur 
to  everyone  who  has  visited  that  city : — one  is 
the  harbor  with  its  forest  of  masts,  its  gigantic  docks 
and  enormous  ships  and  steamers  from  all  parts  of  the 
world;  and  the  other  is  that  of  the  beautiful  Alster 
lakes  and  the  leafy  and  gay  Jungfernstieg,  where  in 
the  Alster-Pavillion  are  served  dishes  that  justify 
Hamburg's  great  reputation  for  good  living.  No  one 
ever  misses  going  there,  if  not  to  eat  the  famous  beef- 
steak which  has  given  Hamburg  its  popular  name,  at 
least  to  drink  a  cup  of  coffee  outside  in  the  covered 
verandah  on  the  water  side,  and  enjoy  the  view  over 
the  Alster. 

Hamburg  has  always  favored  art  science  and  let- 
ters; and  the  theatre  has  been  one  of  the  city's 
greatest  pleasures.  Klopstock  made  this  city  his 
home  in  1771 ;  and  Heine  was  also  a  familiar  figure. 
At  the  present  time,  Hamburg  shows  much  literary 
activity,  and  a  literary  society,  founded  in  1891,  gives 
Volksabende  (people's  evenings)  that  are  well  sup- 
ported and  attended.  It  is  also  famous  for  its  gen- 
erosity, its  hospitality  and  its  lavish  and  elegant 
entertainment. 

160 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

To  landscape  more  than  to  architecture  Hamburg 
owes  its  charm.  Few  cities  have  such  beautiful 
water  scenes.  Hamburg  is  framed  by  water.  On  the 
south,  the  broad  Elbe  forms  a  noble  river  front,  and 
is  of  such  depth  that  gigantic  boats  can  dock  at  her 
very  streets ;  and  on  the  north  two  lovely  lakes  form 
a  water  picture  of  widely  different  character;  and 
close  at  hand  is  the  sea  which  sends  its  salt,  sharp 
and  sweet  air  into  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  It  is 
one  of  the  world's  great  ports. 

Hamburg  is  not  only  a  city :  it  is  a  state,  to  which 
a  territory,  consisting  of  some  fifty  towns  and  vil- 
lages, is  subject;  and  this  greater  Hamburg  is  also 
beautiful.  Various  types  of  landscape  are  displayed 
within  its  boundaries.  Here  we  find  marshes  and 
there  we  find  meadows;  here  we  see  waving  wheat 
fields  and  there  we  see  rich  pasture  lands.  Poets 
have  said  that  no  Babylonian  garments  decorated 
with  gold  and  jewels  could  equal  the  emerald  mead- 
ows so  thickly  embroidered  with  many  colored 
flowers  that  surround  the  town  of  Hamburg. 

The  water  near  the  city  is  dyked  with  earth  stolen 
for  centuries  from  the  river-bed.  The  high  hills  on 
the  right  of  the  Elbe  from  Altona  to  Blankenese  cor- 
respond with  the  harbor  hills  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river — high  wooded  hills  that  remind  us  of  the  hills 
of  Thuringia.  Other  parts  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try are  well  wooded,  although  the  landscape  is  flat, 
except  in  the  Sachsenwald,  so  famous  for  its  fine 
beeches.  Most  attractive  are  Bergedorf,  where  the 
peasants  still  wear  their  quaint  ancient  costume,  and 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  other  forest  villages,  where  the  rich  Hamburger 
has  been  enabled  by  means  of  the  extension  of  sub- 
urban railways  to  build  charming  country  places  for 
rest  and  recreation. 

Heath  and  moor  with  their  melancholy  charm 
are  also  in  close  proximity,  easily  accessible  in  the 
Luneburger  Heide;  and  there  are  many  watering- 
places  on  the  sandy  shore,  such  as  Xumuhlen  and 
Oevelgonne,  where  the  people  can  be  as  jolly  and 
noisy  as  they  please;  and  there  are  little  fishing-vil- 
lages that  lie  behind  Altona  on  the  Elbe,  where  old 
sea  captains  tired  of  going  to  sea  sun  themselves  on 
benches,  and  where  there  are  boarding-houses  for 
summer  guests  and  hospitable  inn-gardens  for  the 
loiterer.  Then  there  are  islands,  inhabited  and  un- 
inhabited, lying  on  the  breast  of  the  broad  Elbe ;  and 
there  are  rich  low-lying  lands  behind  broad  dykes — 
Vierlande  (cattle-land)  and  Alteland  (old-land)  and 
the  Liike,  reminding  us  of  Holland;  and,  last,  but 
by  no  means  least,  the  great  Hamburg  seashore  re- 
sort, Cuxhaven,  at  the  wide  mouth  of  the  Elbe,  with 
a  magnificent  old  castle  dating  from  the  fourteenth 
century,  one  of  the  best  examples  of  a  mediseval 
stronghold  in  Germany. 

Hamburg,  or  Hammaburg,  owes  its  foundation  to 
a  port  built  by  Charlemagne  in  808  on  the  Alster 
as  a  check  on  his  Slavonian  subjects,  who  then  ex- 
tended as  far  west  as  this  point.  The  fort  was 
quickly  destroyed  by  the  Wilzes  (a  Slavonic  tribe), 
but  was  rebuilt  in  810.  It  became  the  centre  of 
Christian  missionary  work  in  the  region  north  of 

162 


§ 

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The  City  of  Hamburg 

the  Elbe  and  in  Scandinavia;  and  later  included 
Iceland  and  Greenland  in  its  diocese. 

In  845,  the  Normans  burnt  the  settlement  to 
ashes.  The  seat  of  the  Archbishopric  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  Bremen,  which,  in  a  measure,  was  a  check 
to  the  western  progress  of  Christianity.  The  town 
was  rebuilt,  but  up  to  the  time  of  Henry  I.  it  suf- 
fered several  times  from  the  destructive  expeditions 
of  the  Danish  and  Slavonic  tribes.  In  the  tenth  cen- 
tury, it  found  peace  and  security  under  Hermann 
Billung,  the  energetic  Duke  of  Saxony.  On  the 
death  of  Otto  II.  it  was  retaken  by  a  rising  of  the 
Slavonians,  who  held  it  from  983  to  987.  On  the 
site  of  the  old  buildings,  Archbishop  Unwan  (1013— 
1029)  built  a  chapter-house,  and  Alebrand  con- 
structed a  cathedral  and  palace  (the  Wideburg)  on 
the  Elbe  in  1037.  This  was  also  destroyed  in  1072 
by  the  Wends.  Hamburg  was  acquired  by  Count 
Adolphus  of  Schauenburg  with  Holstein  in  1110. 
The  Cathedral  was  restored  under  this  prince. 
Count  Adolphus  III.  founded  the  new  City  close  to 
the  Old  City  in  1188,  and  under  him  Hamburg,  as 
a  reward  for  a  large  contribution  to  the  Third  Cru- 
sade (1189),  obtained  important  privileges  from  the 
Emperor,  including  judicial  rights,  freedom  from 
tolls  and  the  right  of  fishing  on  the  Elbe  to  its 
mouth.  Guilds  and  trade  organizations  were  already 
in  existence.  The  Counts  of  Schauenburg  constantly 
strengthened  their  hold  on  the  city;  and  in  1231, 
built  a  strong  castle  in  it. 

About  1241,  Hamburg  and  Liibeck  made  an  al- 
163  . 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

liance  to  protect  their  trade  interests,  which  is  fre- 
quently referred  to  as  the  origin  of  The  Han- 
seatic  League,  the  name  of  which  was  derived  from 
Hansa,  or  association.  This  was  an  alliance  of  the 
great  commercial  towns  of  northern  Germany,  par- 
ticularly for  the  protection  of  the  Baltic  trade,  which 
Denmark  threatened  to  monopolize.  Liibeck  was  the 
head  of  the  League  and  became  the  most  important 
town  in  Germany. 

In  the  fourteenth  century,  the  Hansa  changed  its 
character  from  a  league  of  merchants  abroad  to  a 
league  of  towns  at  home.  The  Hansa  declined  in  the 
sixteenth  century;  and  in  1669  the  last  general  as- 
sembly was  held.  After  that  the  name  of  Hanse 
towns  was  kept  by  Liibeck,  Hamburg  and  Bremen, 
all  of  which  were  now  independent. 

The  Reformed  Religion  was  introduced  in  1529 
and  during  the  religious  dissensions  that  followed 
many  people,  driven  away  by  the  bigotry  of  the  Lu- 
therans, founded  the  adjoining  town  Altona.  To- 
wards the  last  of  the  century  many  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  Jews  sought  refuge  and  made  a  perma- 
nent home  in  Hamburg,  and  merchants  and  others, 
driven  from  Antwerp  by  the  Spanish  troubles,  also 
flocked  to  Hamburg. 

During  the  Thirty  Years'  War  (1618-1648), 
Hamburg  managed  to  keep  the  scourge  of  war  at  a 
distance  and  suffered  very  few  of  the  calamities  that 
fell  upon  the  German  inland  towns.  But  though  the 
population  of  the  city  increased,  vast  sums  had  to  be 
spent  on  various  measures  of  protection;  and  great 

164 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

losses  were  suffered  through  the  insecurity  of  both 
the  land  and  sea  transportation  of  goods  till  the 
pirates  and  robber  bands  were  suppressed. 

What  Hamburg  was  during  the  first  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century  we  learn  from  the  following 
sketch : 

"  Hamburg  was  the  largest  of  all  the  commercial 
cities  of  Germany.  The  houses  were  very  high,  and 
the  streets  so  narrow  that  two  vehicles  could  not  pass 
each  other.  The  inhabitants  were  chiefly  merchants, 
and  amongst  them  were  many  English  families.  The 
city  was  divided  into  five  parishes,  each  of  which  had 
a  handsome  Protestant  church.  Hamburg  was  a  free 
city,  governed  by  four  burgomasters,  twenty-four 
senators,  and  some  other  magistrates.  There  were 
very  few  mechanics  and  fewer  manufacturers,  the 
only  articles  made  there  being  gold  and  silver,  lace, 
stockings  and  silks.  The  trade,  however,  was  so  great 
that  as  many  as  300  ships  were  constantly  employed 
in  carrying  its  merchandise  to  and  from  England, 
Holland  and  the  German  States  by  means  of  the 
river  Elbe.  So  important  was  this  city  that  in 
times  of  war  it  was  always  considered  neutral,  and 
was  not,  therefore,  subject  to  depredations  like  other 
cities. 

"Hamburg  was  very  conspicuous  for  its  little 
trim  Dutch  gardens  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Not  a  twig  was  out  of  order,  not  a  plant  was  allowed 
to  grow  to  any  height. 

"  All  was  prim  and  formal  in  the  extreme ;  but 
here  the  merchant  would  saunter  up  and  down  smok- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

ing  his  pipe  after  office  hours  in  gossip  with  his 
neighbor  on  the  current  topics  of  the  day. 

"  The  gates  were  always  closed  at  sun-down,  after 
which  no  one  was  allowed  to  enter  or  leave  the  city. 

"  The  ladies  of  Hamburg  were  very  reserved  in 
their  manners,  and  rarely  appeared  in  the  streets 
without  a  thick  black  veil.  The  Senators  wore  a 
black  Spanish  cloak,  a  velvet  hat  and  a  sword.  They 
were  chosen  for  life,  ten  being  lawyers  and  fourteen 
of  them  merchants,  each  of  whom  was  expected  to 
keep  a  private  coach."  * 

In  1770  the  city  was  represented  in  the  "  Rhen- 
ish bench  "  of  the  imperial  diet;  in  1810  the  French 
made  it  the  chief  town  in  the  department  of  the 
"  Mouths  of  the  Elbe  " ;  and  in  1815  Hamburg  be- 
came an  independent  state  of  the  German  federation 
and  formed  with  Liibeck,  Bremen  and  Frankfort  the 
curia  of  the  free  cities. 

Hamburg's  trade  was  in  a  flourishing  condition 
when  the  Great  Fire  of  1842  destroyed  4219  build- 
ings and  deprived  20,000  persons  of  their  homes, 
i  The  year  1858  was  of  great  importance ;  for  a  com- 
mission met  there  to  discuss  the  navigation  of  the 
Elbe  and  maritime  law.  In  1866,  Hamburg  sup- 
ported Prussia  against  Austria,  and  favored  the 
formation  of  the  North  German  Confederation  by 
a  large  majority. 

Approaching  the  city  from  Cuxhaven  we  notice 

the  fishing-villages  that  succeed  one  another  until  we 

reach  Blankenese;  and  then  villas,  parks  and  pleas- 

*  Dr.  Brewer. 

166 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

lire-grounds  are  dotted  upon  the  wooded  hills  until 
the  town  of  Altona  comes  into  view.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  suburbs  varies  greatly — labor,  manu- 
facture, commerce,  shop-keeping,  garden  and  villa 
districts,  one  after  another,  all  harmoniously  com- 
bined. 

As  we  approach  the  town,  the  forest  of  masts,  the 
towers  and  spires  and  masses  of  buildings  announce 
Hamburg.  A  long  line  of  docks  and  quays  and 
warehouses  extend  all  the  way  from  Altona,  a  dis- 
tance of  five  miles ! 

From  the  haven,  we  have  an  impressive  picture 
of  the  great  metropolis  before  us  with  its  busy,  ever- 
moving  life — laboring  and  manufacturing,  and  sea- 
going Hamburg.  Against  the  background  of  houses 
and  churches  a  multitude  of  boats  and  ships  form  a 
moving  foreground  of  sails  and  masts  and  clouds  of 
smoke. 

The  quiet  centre  of  this  city  picture  which  the  eye 
always  sought  with  pleasure — the  old  and  venerable 
St.  Michael's  Church — is  now  missing,  having  been 
destroyed  by  Hamburg's  latest  fire.  This  enormous 
tower,  which  rose  426  feet  into  the  air,  was  a  char- 
acteristic Hamburg  landmark  and  is  mourned  by 
everyone;  and  although  another  church  is  being 
erected  on  the  same  site  and  upon  the  old  walls,  it 
can  never  atone  for  the  loss  of  Great  St.  Michael's. 
This  church  was  built  in  1750-1762,  and  could  ac- 
commodate three  thousand  worshipers.  Its  tall  tower 
was  visible  from  every  street,  or  canal,  or  bridge, 
in  the  city. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Though  St.  Michael's  has  gone,  the  left  bank  is 
still  dominated  by  the  tops  of  the  Stintfang  with  the 
signal  station,  and  the  Sailors'  Home  peeping  above 
the  beautiful  clumps  of  green  trees ;  while  on  the 
right  the  great  warehouses  on  the  quays  and  the  time 
ball  Tower  show  above  the  busy  traffic  of  the  bank 
of  the  haven. 

Between  these  two  prominent  points  extends  a  long 
line  of  not  very  tall  houses  of  the  haven ;  ships  with 
their  gangways  and  cranes;  piers  with  the  dirty  wa- 
ter of  the  stream  washing  against  them  and  the  char- 
acteristic piles  called  "  Dukes  of  Alba  "  that  stick 
out  of  the  water.  All  that  the  eye  falls  upon  is  the 
work  of  man's  hand  that  has  taken  centuries  of  toil 
to  produce.  The  dyked  land  between  the  north  and 
south  banks  of  the  Elbe  looks  like  anchored  islands ; 
the  bed  of  the  water  has  been  narrowed  and  deep- 
ened ;  the  mighty  wharves  and  factories  and  the  big 
viaduct  over  the  dock  of  Blohm  &  Voss,  the  quays 
and  warehouse  canals  and  private  docks,  are  all 
triumphs  of  man's  industry,  and  on  such  a  gigantic 
scale  and  so  impressive  that  it  seems  to  be  the  work 
of  nature. 

One  of  the  features  of  Hamburg  is  the  luxuriant 
belt  of  green  that  surrounds  it,  extending  from  the 
Stintfang  all  the  way  north,  east  and  south  to  the 
Berlin  Kailway  Station.  These  delightful  prome- 
nades were  laid  out  on  the  old  fortifications  that  for- 
merly encircled  the  city,  which  consists  of  the  Alt- 
stadt  and  the  Neustadt  (old  town  and  new  town), 
joined  on  the  one  side  by  the  suburb  of  St.  George 

168 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

and  on  the  other  by  that  of  St.  Pauli  and  the  town 
of  Altona. 

On  the  north  side  lies  the  most  beautiful  district 
of  Hamburg,  built  around  a  sheet  of  water  called  the 
Binnen-Alster  (Inner  Alster),  formed  from  a  larger 
lake  outside  the  town  called  the  Ausser-Alster  (Outer 
Alster),  which,  in  turn,  is  supplied  by  a  small  river, 
the  Alster.  On  the  east,  another  little  river,  the 
Bille,  enters  Hamburg;  and  both  rivers  are  dis- 
charged into  canals  called  fleets  and  into  branches  of 
the  Elbe  that  flow  through  the  lower  parts  of  the 
town.  These  canals,  of  various  sizes,  some  of  which 
wind  gracefully  around  the  quays,  and  crossed  by  in- 
numerable bridges  from  which  picturesque  views  of 
the  town  are  obtained,  give  a  peculiar  individuality 
to  Hamburg.  All  these  havens,  canals  and  the  two 
glassy  Alster  lakes  fully  justify  Mr.  Steevens's 
happy  remark  that  "  Hamburg  is  gemmed  with  la- 
goons." 

We  have  seen  industrial  Hamburg  from  the  Elbe ; 
now  let  us  look  at  leisured  and  pleasure-loving  Ham- 
burg around  the  Binnen-Alster,  or  Alster-Bassin,  as 
it  is  generally  called.  The  Binnen-Alster  is  per- 
fectly square,  about  a  mile  in  circumference  and  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  wide  quays  bordered  with 
trees,  handsome  dwellings  and  magnificent  hotels. 
The  quay  called  the  Alte-Jungfernstieg  is  the  gayest 
and  busiest;  on  its  left  is  the  Neue-Jungfernstieg 
and  on  its  right  is  the  Alsterdamm;  while,  directly 
opposite  the  Alte-Jungfernstieg,  and  separating  the 
Binnen-Alster  from  the  outer  lake,  is  an  embankment 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

consisting  of  two  parks,  or  promenades,  connected  by 
a  bridge  called  the  Lombardsbriicke. 

A  beautiful  view  is  to  be  had  from  this  bridge, 
looking  north  across  the  Ausser- Alster,  with  its  ris- 
ing banks,  on  which  the  villas  of  the  wealthy  with 
their  parks  and  gardens  are  thickly  sprinkled;  and, 
looking  south  across  the  Binnen-Alster,  gay  with  little 
boats  and  floating  swans,  to  the  city  whose  buildings 
and  towers  make  such  a  pretty  picture.  At  the  end 
of  the  Old  Jungfernstieg  the  Alster-Pavillion  3 
situated, — a  cafe  that  is  to  Hamburg  what  the 
Bratwurstglbckle  is  to  Nuremburg  and  the  Hofbrdu- 
liaus  to  Munich.  On  the  right  of  the  Old  Jungfern- 
stieg are  the  Alster  Arcades,  a  street  running  paral- 
lel with  the  little  Alster  that  flows  in  from  the  lake 
and  filled  with  attractive  shops.  The  Alster  Arcades 
extend  from  the  Reesendammbriicke  to  the  Schleu- 
senbriicke,  two  bridges  that  run  parallel  with  the  Old 
Jungfernstieg. 

"  The  picture  seen  from  the  Alster,"  exclaims  an 
artist,  "  is  harmonious  in  line  and  picturesque  in 
composition  with  the  mass  of  many  slender  towers 
artistically  distributed  in  a  fine  frame  composed 
of  beautiful  groups  of  buildings.  Naturally,  you 
must  select  your  point  of  view  in  order  to  see  it 
embedded  in  green.  If  we  are  in  a  boat  on  the  Outer 
Alster  we  see  the  Lombardsbriicke  with  its  three  fine 
arches,  and  behind  it  the  roofs  of  the  Jungfernstieg 
and  the  high  towers  of  Hamburg.  Here  again  we 
miss  the  dominating  tower  of  old  St.  Michael's ;  but 
there  still  remain  enough  slender,  characteristic  and 

170 


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The  City  of  Hamburg 

various  church  towers  such  as  St.  Nicholas,  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Jakobi.  The  old  Post  towers,  a  pair 
of  high  chimneys  like  those  of  the  city  mills,  also 
take  their  place  very  effectively  in  the  picture.  The 
foreground  shows  us  the  bright  surface  of  the  Alster, 
enlivened  with  sail  boats  and  small  steamboats, — a 
city  picture  that  for  variety  and  idyllic  character 
cannot  be  matched  anywhere. 

"  Magnificent  also  is  the  view  from  the  Lom- 
bardsbriicke  of  the  Binnen- Alster  and  the  Jungfern- 
stieg.  Let  your  eyes  rove  around  as  they  will,  they 
will  constantly  return  to  the  broad  fine  promenades 
that  embrace  the  water  from  left  to  right  and  will 
rest  with  satisfaction  on  the  prominent  Jungfern- 
stieg  with  the  tall  fine  building  which  juts  out  into 
the  water — the  Alster-Pavillion — and  the  splendid 
hotels  and  the  handsome  appearance  of  the  impor- 
tant shops. 

"  But  in  the  evening,  when  all  the  lights  are  burn- 
ing in  the  streets  and  behind  the  windows,  and  all 
the  lanterns  and  lights  on  the  boats  and  ships  blaze 
out  on  the  water  and  mirror  themselves  in  the  waves, 
then  the  scene  is  like  fairy-land.  Perhaps  it  is  most 
beautiful  in  the  twilight  when  the  Alster  assumes  a 
deep  blue  tint.  This  is  the  Alster's  hour  of  blue. 

"  Beautiful,  too,  is  the  winter  picture  of  the  Alster 
with  its  flying  guests, — the  sea-gulls. 

"  One  severe  winter  they  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  centre  of  the  city.  People  fed  them  and  the 
knowing  creatures  came  again  winter  after  winter. 
Now  they  are  regular  visitors  and  everybody  loves 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

and  feeds  them.  You  can  buy  sea-gull  food  on  the 
streets  for  ten  pfennig.  Venice  has  her  St.  Mark's 
pigeons ;  Hamburg  has  the  Alster  gulls." 

The  banks  of  the  Ausser-Alster  are  very  beauti- 
ful, as  they  are  dotted  with  villas,  gardens  and 
parks, — the  residences  of  Hamburg's  wealthy  citi- 
zens. There  are  also  several  villages  here,  the  most 
popular  one  of  which  is  Uhlenhorst,  which  can  be 
reached  by  tram  or  steamer  from  the  Jungfernstieg. 
At  Horn,  three  miles  east  of  Hamburg,  the  annual 
races  are  run, — the  German  Derby. 

Next  to  London  and  New  York  Hamburg  is  the 
third  largest  port  in  the  world ;  and  therefore,  among 
the  chief  sights  of  the  town,  if  not  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all,  are  the  quays  and  docks. 

Regular  tourist  trips  are  made  to  these  harbors, 
havens  and  docks,  starting  from  the  Hafentor  at  the 
landing-stage  of  St.  Pauli. 

"  Every  doc*,  slip  and  basin  has  its  own  name,  and 
receives  its  own  line  of  ships  and  boats.  What  a 
scene  of  movement,  and  what  a  noise  of  clanking 
chains,  puffing  engines,  creaking  and  groaning  of  the 
winches  and  windlasses,  cries  and  shouts  of  the  work- 
men and  sailors  as  the  busy  hands  raise  by  means  of 
rope  and  chain  windlass  the  wares  from  the  chutes 
below  to  the  various  floors  of  the  warehouses.  What 
a  variety  of  boats  and  great  chutes  empty  or  full 
move  up  and  down  along-side  of  these  boats  by 
their  manipulators.  Then,  too,  we  frequently  see  a 
primitive  barge  moved  by  one  man  who  pushes  his 
way  through  the  mass  of  shipping  by  means  of  a 

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The  City  of  Hamburg 

pole  and  hook,  slowly  indeed,  but  very  deftly  and 
surely  and  bringing  his  boat  through  the  apparently 
impenetrable  mass  of  boats  to  the  required  landing. 
We  also  note  the  little  light  boats,  the  steam-boats  of 
the  harbor-police,  or  a  steam-tug  that  leaves  a  long 
plume  of  smoke  behind  it  and  its  shadow  on  the 
water. 

"  Eye  and  ear  have  had  much  to  see  and  hear ; 
but  what  about  the  nose?  Could  one  ever  imag- 
ine such  odors  as  escape  from  the  chutes  and  open 
warehouses?  Such  strong  perfumes  as  hides,  whale 
oil  and  petroleum  fill  the  air  with  an  inexplicable 
mixture  at  which  the  unaccustomed  nostril  guesses 
in  vain.  Part  of  the  stench  comes  from  the  fleets 
themselves.  At  the  ebb  tide,  when  all  business  on 
these  canals  ceases  and  the  chutes  lie  black  and  stiff 
in  the  mud,  through  which  the  dirty  water  only  flows 
in  runnels,  then  many  things  come  to  light  which  ex- 
plain these  terrible  smells. 

"  The  Fleeterikieker  gentry,  who  make  a  business 
of  doing  nothing,  and  who  stand  for  hours  leaning 
over  a  bridge  rail  gazing  into  the  canal,  have  cer- 
tainly no  cause  to  complain  about  the  variety  of 
things  they  see  in  the  mud.  Whether  they  take  any 
interest  in  the  changing  lights  and  shades  of  the  day 
and  hour  is  questionable;  but  certain  it  is  that  the 
lovely  shadows  and  lights  that  often  produce  fantas- 
tic effects  in  the  fleets  are  enough  to  induce  any  one 
with  an  artistic  eye  to  become  a  Fleetenkieker." 

The  most  attractive  of  the  fleets  lie  in  the  old  town, 
such  as  the  fleet  by  the  ReimersbrucJce,  with  St.  Ger- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

trade's  Church  in  the  background ;  or  the  fleet  at  the 
high  bridge,  where  the  top  of  the  tower  peeps  over 
the  gabled  roofs ;  or  the  small  fleet  behind  the  walls, 
where  you  see  the  backs  of  the  old  warehouses  and 
dwellings, — remnants  of  the  mediaeval  days  when  the 
town  was  enclosed  with  walls  and  people  dwelt  close 
together  for  greater  security. 

If  we  go  in  from  the  fleet  to  enter  one  of  these  old 
warehouses,  we  traverse  a  narrow  but  deep  piece  of 
ground  before  we  come  to  the  street.  Between  the 
warehouse  and  the  dwelling  and  counting-houses  on 
the  street  stretches  a  larger  or  smaller  courtyard,  on 
which  the  windows  of  a  side  wing  look;  and  this 
wing  generally  connects  the  front  and  back  building. 
At  last  we  reach  the  broad  Hanseatic  Kaufmanns- 
diele  on  the  street  and  find  ourselves  in  the  centre 
of  old  Hamburg. 

In  addition  to  being  the  greatest  port  on  the 
Continent,  Hamburg  is  one  of  the  greatest  money 
markets  in  the  world.  Therefore,  the  Exchange,  or 
Borse,  in  the  Adolphs-Platz  is  worth  a  visit.  Here 
four  or  five  thousand  brokers,  merchants  and  ship- 
owners congregate  every  day  between  one  and  two 
o'clock. 

The  building  erected  in  1839-1841  was  spared  by 
the  fire  of  1842;  and  was  given  a  new  fagade  in 
1894.  It  also  houses  a  fine  Reading-room  and  a 
Library  of  100,000  volumes.  The  Exchange  is  con- 
nected with  the  new  Raihaus,  or  Town  Hall,  built  in 
1886-1897  in  the  German  Renaissance  style.  The 
latter  faces  the  Rathaus-Markt,  and  demands  a  lit- 

174 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

tie  study  on  our  part.  On  the  fagade  are  bronze 
statues  of  twenty  German  Emperors  and  above  them 
seven  patron  saints  of  the  five  old  city  parishes  and 
two  monasteries.  These  are  Michael,  Katharine, 
Peter,  Nicholas  and  James,  for  the  city;  and  John 
and  Mary  Magdalen  for  the  monasteries.  Above  the 
windows  are  placed  the  arms  of  the  Hanseatic  towns 
and  figures  representing  various  arts  and  crafts. 
Four  figures  emblematical  of  the  civic  virtues  adorn 
the  portal  and  the  German  Eagle  surmounts  the 
tower  which  is  370  feet  high.  In  the  centre  of  the 
courtyard  is  a  fountain.  The  principal  rooms  are 
the  Great  Hall,  the  Senate,  the  Town  Council,  the 
Kaisersadl,  the  Burgomaster's  Room,  the  Orphans' 
Room  and  the  Phoenix  Room.  In  the  vaults  is  the 
Ratsweinkeller,  a  restaurant  and  tavern,  the  vesti- 
bule of  which  is  decorated  with  stained  glass  and 
paintings  dealing  with  the  history  and  ancient  cus- 
toms of  Hamburg.  In  front  of  the  Rathaus  stands 
an  equestrian  statue  of  William  I.  The  old  Ham- 
burger, one  who  clings  to  the  old  standing  of  the 
free  town,  does  not  look  lovingly  either  at  the  Eagle 
on  the  tower,  or  at  the  statue  of  the  Emperor.  He 
still  sighs  for  his  ancient  privileges. 

Owing  to  the  modern  spirit  of  the  Hamburgers, 
and  more  particularly  to  the  great  fire  of  1842, 
Hamburg  contains  few  ancient  buildings.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  churches  and  some  old 
residences  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies in  the  Reichenstrasse,  the  Cremon,  the  Ro- 
dingsmarkt  and  Katharinenstrasse  (all  near  the 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Binnenhafen*),  the  town  has  a  modern  appearance. 
A  fire  that  rendered  5,160  families  (20,000  individ- 
uals) roofless,  killed  39  persons  (25  burned  to  death) 
and  injured  118  souls,  that  destroyed  1,749  houses, 
102  stores  and  warehouses,  61  streets  and  120  courts 
and  alleys,  wiping  out  a  quarter  of  the  town,  is  worth 
hearing  about  in  detail.  One  of  the  spectators  thus 
described  it: 

"  The  fire  began  about  one  o'clock  on  Thursday, 
May  5,  and  raged  unceasingly  until  the  following 
Sunday  at  noon.  It  seems  to  have  begun  in  a  cigar 
factory  in  Deich  Street,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Binner  Haven,  and  a  heavy  wind  drove  the  flames 
towards  the  part  of  the  city  crowded  with  people  and 
containing  the  chief  public  buildings.  One  of  the 
first  to  go  was  the  Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  an  im- 
mense building  of  the  twelfth  century,  with  a  lofty 
square  tower  surmounted  by  a  spire  that  reached  a 
height  of  360  feet. 

"  When  this  spire  began  to  burn  its  appearance 
was  that  of  a  magnificent  torch  in  the  midst  of  a 
wide-spreading  sea  of  fire ;  a  sight  terrible  and  sub- 
lime; and  as  the  green,  red  and  yellow  flames 
climbed  towards  the  pinnacle,  every  eye  in  Hamburg 
was  directed  to  the  church,  and  all  personal  anxieties 
were  forgotten  for  the  moment  in  the  interest  ex- 
cited by  the  approaching  catastrophe.  That  interest 
was  painfully  increased  when  the  chimes  of  the 
tower  began  mournfully  to  perform  its  funeral  dirge. 
The  last  tones  of  the  bells,  untuned  by  the  expansion 
of  the  heat,  came  upon  the  ear  as  a  cry  of  suffering, 

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The  City  of  Hamburg 

and  it  was  a  relief  to  the  spectators  when  it  ceased. 
The  sheets  of  copper  with  which  the  sides  of  the 
spire  were  plated  were  seen  to  peel  off  and,  glowing 
with  a  red  heat,  floated  away  in  the  air.  Soon  after 
it  fell  with  a  tremendous  crash  to  the  ground.  In 
the  morning  divine  service  had  been  performed  in 
the  church,  in  the  evening  it  was  a  ruin. 

"  The  wide  gap  made  by  blasting  Streit's  hotel 
and  the  adjoining  houses,  assisted  by  a  change  of  the 
wind,  prevented  the  flames  extending  to  the  New 
Jungf ernstieg ;  but  the  fire  now  began  to  rage  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Alster,  consisting  of  houses  and 
warehouses  built  to  the  water's  edge.  The  Church 
of  St.  Peter's,  situated  in  that  part  of  the  old  city, 
and  admired  both  for  its  antiquity  and  the  chaste 
simplicity  of  its  architecture,  was  next  threatened. 

"  Two  hundred  persons  were  unceasingly  engaged 
in  defending  it  from  the  approaching  conflagration. 
Several  houses  were  blasted  about  it,  but  under  cir- 
cumstances which  allowed  the  engineers  no  hope  of 
success,  and  the  cannon  of  the  Hanoverian  artillery 
were  fired  against  others,  but  with  no  useful  result. 

"  During  the  night  of  Friday  the  heated  wood- 
work several  times  burst  into  flames,  and  although 
as  often  extinguished,  the  heat  became  so  intense, 
that  about  nine  in  the  morning  it  was  necessary  to 
abandon  the  Church  to  its  fate.  A  scene  similar  to 
that  of  the  burning  of  St.  Nicholas  was  renewed; 
again  the  green  and  yellow  flames  rose  high  above 
the  summit,  the  bells  tolled  their  own  departure,  and, 
when  the  steeple  broke  off  from  the  tower,  it  buried 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

itself  many  feet  in  the  earth  from  the  violence  of  its 
fall. 

"  On  Saturday  and  Sunday  morning  the  flames 
were  chiefly  confined  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Alster; 
a  densely  populated  district,  which,  consisting  of 
narrow  streets,  there  were  no  available  means  of  cut- 
ting off  the  fire  even  with  gunpowder  (of  which  un- 
limited supplies  had  now  arrived),  without  blowing 
up  nearly  as  great  a  number  of  houses  as  the  fire 
itself  was  likely  to  destroy.  The  engineers,  however, 
did  what  they  could  by  explosions,  but  nothing  in 
this  quarter  could  check  the  conflagration  which  con- 
tinued to  rage  until,  reaching  the  Boulevard,  it  burnt 
itself  out." 

Another  eye-witness  wrote: 

"  Upon  the  Old  Jungfernstieg,  separated  by  the 
road  from  the  houses,  was  now  piled  in  hurried  con- 
fusion the  costly  furniture  of  the  inhabitants;  the 
water  was  covered  with  barges  and  boats  in  which 
they  were  endeavouring  to  save  that  and  other 
valuable  property ;  but  the  wind  before  mid-day  had 
increased  to  a  perfect  hurricane;  the  flames  com- 
municated themselves  to  this  mass  of  furniture  and 
the  whole  was  soon  one  long  line  of  fire;  even  the 
boats  upon  the  Alster  did  not  escape;  several  were 
burnt  with  their  contents  to  the  water's  edge. 
Others,  overloaded  or  unskilfully  manned,  were  up- 
set, and  the  surface  of  the  water  was  soon  strewed 
with  the  wreck  of  furniture  which  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  the  joint  powers  of  two  opposing  elements. 
As  night  a  second  time  approached,  the  aspect  from 

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The  City  of  Hamburg 

the  opposite  bank  was  one  of  appalling  magnificence. 
Before  us  lay  the  Old  Jungfernstieg,  one  unbroken 
chain  of  fire;  on  the  right  it  seemed  to  be  on  the 
point  of  reaching  the  New  Jungfernstieg,  which 
would  have  been  the  signal  for  the  certain  destruc- 
tion of  the  newest  and  most  beautiful  district  of  the 
town ;  on  the  left  it  was  advancing  with  rapid  strides 
to  the  old  town,  threatening  the  churches  of  St. 
Jacob  and  St.  Peter,  the  new  school-house,  a  public 
building  which  contains  the  large  and  very  valuable 
public  library,  and  many  other  buildings.  The 
crashing  of  beams,  the  explosions  of  gunpowder, 
which  were  continually  resounding  from  every 
quarter,  the  firing  of  cannon,  shouting  of  men,  the 
cries  and  lamentations  of  women  and  children,  all 
served  to  heighten  the  horror  and  the  absorbing  in- 
terest of  the  spectacle." 

An  old  verse  described  the  parish  churches  as  fol- 
lows: 

Katherinen,  de  Finen, 

Nicolai,  de  Riken, 

St.  Petri,  desgliken, 

Jakobi,  de  Sturen, 

Michaelis,  de  Buren. 

St.  Nicholas  was  rebuilt  after  the  fire  of  1842  by 
Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  an  English  architect,  in  the  ornate 
Gothic  style  of  the  thirteenth  century.  It  is  285 
feet  long,  and  the  west  tower,  finished  in  1874,  is  485 
feet  high,  one  of  the  highest  towers  in  Europe,  rank- 
ing next  to  Ulm  (528  feet)  ;  Cologne  (512  feet)  and 
Rouen  (495  feet).  St.  Nicholas  is  beautifully 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

carved  and  filled  within  and  without  with  sculptures 
that  perpetuate  the  memory  of  all  those  who  worked 
to  found  and  spread  the  Christian  religion.  It  has 
also  beautiful  stained-glass  windows,  a  fine  organ 
and  a  set  of  chimes. 

The  west  front  looks  upon  the  Hopfen  Markt 
(the  Hop  Market),  Hamburg's  great  fruit  and 
vegetable  market.  What  a  picture  of  variegated 
color  with  its  piles  of  fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables 
and  constantly  changing  scenes  of  common  life! 
This  market-scene,  with  its  moving,  chattering, 
laughing  and  arguing  throng  of  vendors  and  buyers, 
with  the  beautiful  tower  of  St.  Nicholas  rising  above 
the  quiet  background  of  warehouses  and  office  build- 
ings, produces  a  delightful  impression. 

An  equally  picturesque  and  even  more  character- 
istic scene  is  afforded  by  the  Messburg,  on  account 
of  its  vicinity  to  the  water.  Here  the  fishermen  can 
come  right  into  the  market  with  their  boats.  The 
forest  of  masts  against  the  high  gabled  houses  and 
the  maze  of  narrow  streets  gives  to  the  market  its 
particular  character. 

The  fish  market  in  St.  Pauli,  held  daily  from  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning  till  eight,  is  a  sight  the  travel- 
ler should  never  miss.  South-east  of  St.  Nicholas, 
on  the  big  Zoll  Kanal,  stands  St.  Katharine's,  spared 
by  the  fire  of  1842.  The  church  was  built  in  the 
Seventeenth  Century;  and  contains  a  marble  pulpit 
of  1630,  some  ancient  tombs  and  several  valuable 
old  German  paintings. 

St.  Peter's  also  stands  nobly  on  its  square  near  the 
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The  City  of  Hamburg 

Exchange.  The  view  from  the  Jungfernstieg  up 
the  city's  streets  to  the  large  reddish  tower  with  the 
green  top  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  to  be  found 
in  Hamburg. 

The  old  church  was  burnt  in  the  great  Fire  of 
1842,  but  was  rebuilt  in  the  Gothic  style  of  the 
Fourteenth  Century. 

Opposite  St.  Peter's  is  the  Johanneum,  the  mod- 
ern house  of  an  old  college  of  the  same  name  founded 
in  1529.  One  wing  contains  the  old  city  library, 
with  about  600,000  books  and  5,000  MSS.,  includ- 
ing rare  Bibles,  mediaeval  works  on  theology  and 
Oriental  MSS.  of  great  value.  In  this  building  are 
also  housed  the  Natural  History  Museum  and  the 
Museum  of  Hamburg  Antiquities. 

Just  south  of  the  Johanneum  is  the  Fish-market; 
and  to  the  east,  on  8teinstrasse,  the  Church  of  St. 
James,  erected  in  1580-92.  North  of  this  church 
is  the  Pferde  MarTft,  out  of  which  leads  Alsterthor. 
Here  stands  the  Thalia  Theatre. 

Going  east  from  the  Lombardsbriicke  and  pass- 
ing the  bronze  monument  to  Schiller,  we  reach  the 
Kunsthalle  on  the  Alsterhohe,  built  in  1867-69  and 
enlarged  in  1886.  Here  we  shall  find  much  to 
enjoy,  for  there  are  no  less  than  a  thousand  paint- 
ings. In  addition  to  modern  French  and  German 
works,  the  gallery  contains,  as  is  natural,  fine  works 
of  Hamburg  artists  of  the  past  and  present  from  the 
fifteenth  century  to  the  present  day;  and,  what  is 
uncommon  to  find  on  the  Continent,  a  collection  of 
modern  British  paintings.  The  latter  was  gathered 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

by  Mr.  Schwabe,  a  Hamburg  merchant,  who  lived 
many  years  in  London.  The  Dutch  painters  of  the 
seventeenth  century  are  well  represented.  We  are 
now  in  the  St.  George  quarter,  where  most  of  the 
museums  are  situated;  but  before  we  visit  these  we 
must  look  at  the  Hansa  Fountain,  erected  in  1878  in 
the  Hansa  Platz.  This  was  designed  by  E.  Peiffer 
and  is  56  feet  high. 

Near  Liibeckerthor,  we  shall  find  the  Botanic 
Museum,  containing  woods,  seeds,  fruit  and  sea- 
weeds. The  other  two  museums  are  situated  be- 
tween the  Steinthor  and  the  Klosterthor.  In  the 
Museum  of  Industrial  Art  the  works  of  the  Japanese 
are  especially  well  represented.  In  the  Natural 
History  Museum,  the  animals,  birds,  insects  and 
creatures  of  the  sea  are  beautifully  mounted  in 
imitation  of  their  natural  surroundings  and  habita- 
tions. There  are  also  large  collections  of  sea-shells 
and  minerals. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Lombardsbriicke  the 
Esplanade,  with  its  double  row  of  trees  and  monu- 
ment to  the  soldiers  of  Hamburg  who  lost  their  lives 
in  the  Franco-Prussian  war  in  1870—71,  leads  to  the 
Dammthor.  Dammthorstrasse  leads  from  Stephans- 
Platz,  where  the  Post  Office  with  its  tall  tower  at- 
tracts our  attention,  to  the  Ganse  Markt,  in  which 
stands  a  fine  statue  of  Lessing.  In  Dammthorstrasse 
is  the  Stadt  Theatre  which  seats  2,000  persons. 

Just  beyond  the  Dammthor,  we  find  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  which  are  especially  famed  for  their  water- 
plants  of  all  known  varieties;  and  beyond  them  are 

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The  City  of  Hamburg 

the  Zoological  Gardens,  which  are  among  the  best  in 
Germany. 

Kivalling  the  Zoological  Gardens,  however,  is 
Hagenbeck's  Animal  Collection  in  the  Neue  Pferde 
Markt,  which  is  known  throughout  the  world. 

Few  towns  have  had  so  many  and  such  severe 
calamities  as  Hamburg ;  and  not  taking  into  account 
those  of  earlier  periods,  within  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury alone  she  suffered  the  great  fire  of  1842 ;  the 
closing  of  the  Customs;  and  the  experiences  of  the 
terrible  cholera  year  of  1892  that  necessitated  a 
sanitation  of  the  greater  part  of  the  city. 

From  a  description  of  this  calamity  we  gather  the 
following  interesting  facts : 

"  A  peculiar  custom  obtains  in  Hamburg,  no  men- 
tion of  which  has  heretofore  been  made  in  the  stories 
of  the  epidemic  sent  from  here,  and  to  this  custom 
may  be  attributed  many  of  the  cholera  deaths  that 
have  occurred  here.  As  is  well  known  the  old  town 
of  Hamburg  is  very  low  and  is  traversed  by  many 
canals  or  fleets,  as  they  are  called  here.  These 
fleets  generally  form  what  may  be  called  back  streets, 
and  they  are  bordered  by  warehouses,  cellars  and 
the  dwelling-houses  of  poor  people.  These  fleets  are 
subject  to  the  tides  of  the  Elbe,  and  at  certain  times 
they  are  quite  dry.  When  they  are  in  this  condition 
the  Fleetenkiekers  wander  along  the  oozy  channel 
and  pick  up  any  articles  that  the  water  may  have 
deposited.  As  the  tide  rushes  up  the  river  from  the 
North  Sea,  the  fleets  are  filled  with  water  to  a  depth 
of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  As  soon  as  it  is  high 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

tide  at  Cuxhaven,  three  shots  are  fired  from  the 
Stintfang  at  the  harbor  to  warn  the  inhabitants  along 
the  fleets,  and  if  the  progress  of  the  tide  up  the  river 
gives  indication  of  danger,  three  more  shots  are  fired 
to  add  emphasis  to  the  warning.  Then  the  people 
who  live  along  the  lower  levels  make  for  higher 
ground,  often  carrying  their  little  property  with 
them.  About  the  present  time  these  lower  levels  are 
often  inundated  by  the  tides  for  several  days  in 
succession;  but  when  the  floods  abate  the  people  re- 
turn to  their  oozy  abodes.  Now  it  is  well  known 
that  the  water  of  the  Elbe  is  impure  and  there  are 
many  who  believe  that  through  drinking  it  cholera 
is  caused.  With  these  people  of  the  fleet,  known  as 
Lud  von  de  Wasserkrant,  handling  articles  picked 
from  the  canals  and  living  in  houses  impregnated 
with  the  filthy  Elbe  water,  it  is  an  easy  matter  for 
the  disease  to  obtain  a  foothold." 

Those  who  love  old  Hamburg  deplore  the  changes 
that  have  had  to  be  made  for  the  sake  of  the  new 
railways,  and  the  streets  that  are  daily  sacrificed  to 
make  room  for  the  broad  new  thoroughfares,  and  the 
city  railway  that  is  being  constructed  partly  above 
and  partly  below  the  ground  which  has  necessitated 
excavations.  Changes,  too,  have  had  to  take  place 
in  the  harbor,  for  the  basins  completed  at  fabulous 
expense  have  proved  of  late  years  too  narrow  for  the 
new  boats. 

Hamburg  is,  indeed,  a  very  modern  and  up-to-date 
city.  In  every  direction  electric  cabs  and  taximeter 
cabs,  trams,  steamboats  and  ferries  flit  hither  and 

184 


The  City  of  Hamburg 

and  thither,  making  the  streets  and  lakes  very  gay 
and  full  of  movement.  The  city  itself  is  constantly 
pressing  outwards.  Beyond  rolls  the  sea  where 
there  is  room  for  all  nations;  but  Hamburg  is 
cramped  within  and  has  no  room  to  expand  except 
northwards  and  eastwards.  Manufacture  and  ship- 
ping are  constantly  increasing,  for  Germany  does  not 
stand  in  the  background  of  nations  and  Prussia  has 
purchased  the  island  of  Neuhof  for  a  State  Custom 
House.  On  the  south  flows  the  Elbe ;  and  as  Ham- 
burg has  long  since  touched  Altona  on  the  one  side, 
and  on  the  other  is  connected  house  to  house  with 
Wandsbeck,  there  is  an  unbroken  sea  of  houses  from 
Wandsbeck  to  Altona-Ottensen.  The  districts  that 
allow  the  business  man  ready  communication  be- 
tween his  home  and  office  are  all  occupied;  and 
Hamburg's  own  territory  cannot  satisfy  the  wish  of 
everybody  to  possess  a  country-seat. 

The  poorer  people  have  to  content  themselves 
•within  the  boundaries  of  the  city,  while  the  wealthy 
are  building  pretty  villas  and  planting  colonies  on 
the  shores  of  the  Ausser-Alster  and  in  the  open  spaces 
beyond  the  political  boundaries.  Many  business 
men  have  settled  in  Wandsbeck,  a  town  in  Holstein 
about  three  miles  from  Hamburg  on  the  northeast, 
and  in  the  attractive  villa  colonies  of  Othmarschen, 
Flottbeck,  Hoclikamp,  Dockenhuden,  and  Blankenese 
on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe  beyond  Altona. 

Wealthy  Hamburgers  also  have  beautiful  gardens 
and  country-seats  on  the  railways  towards  Liibeck 
and  Berlin,  such  as  Altrahlstadt  on  the  one  hand  and 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Tleiribeck  and  Friedrichsruh  in  the  Sachsenwald,  the 
latter  the  home  of  Bismarck,  where  he  died  in  1898 
and  where  he  is  buried. 

Charming  homes  are  also  found  in  Ninedorf  on 
the  north,  Harburg  in  the  south  among  the  forest 
hills,  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  and  also  in  the 
Liineburger  Heide. 

Innumerable  are  the  pleasure-resorts  too.  People 
go  to  the  Sachsenwald  to  enjoy  the  lovely  beeches  and 
to  Uhlenhorst  on  the  Ausser-Alster  which  can  be 
reached  by  tram  or  steamer  from  the  Jungfernstieg. 
At  Horn,  three  miles  east  of  Hamburg,  the  annual 
races  are  run, — the  German  Derby. 

Cuxhaven  is  not  too  far  to  attract  those  who  love 
sea-bathing;  and  from  Cuxhaven  excursions  are 
made  to  the  island  of  Heligoland. 


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THE   CITY   OF   COPENHAGEN 

THE  ATHENS  OF  THE  NORTH 

COPENHAGEN,  the  centre  of  art,  science  and 
letters  on  the  Baltic  shores,  had  its  begin- 
nings as  a  modest  little  fishing-village.  It  is  first 
mentioned  in  Danish  history  in  1027,  when  during 
King  Canute's  absence  in  England  the  Kings  of 
Norway  and  Sweden  attacked  Denmark ;  and  then  it 
is  merely  called  Haven. 

About  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century  it  was 
still  a  little  fishing-village  when  King  Valdemar  I. 
gave  it  to  Absalon,  Bishop  of  Roskilde,  also  known 
as  Axel  Hride.  The  Bishop  almost  immediately 
built  a  castle  or  fortress  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  Christiansborg  Palace,  which  was  called  after 
him  Axel-huus.  The  settlement  grew  into  a  great 
resort  for  merchants  and  soon  became  known  as  the 
Merchants'  Haven  {Kjobmannshavn). 

Bishop  Absalon  bestowed  on  the  see  of  Roskilde 
the  castle,  the  town  and  the  island  of  Amager;  and 
Bishop  Erlandsen  gave  special  rights  and  privileges 
to  this  settlement,  which  were  confirmed  and  in- 
creased by  King  Eric  Glypping  in  1284.  The  death 
of  Valdemar  II.  was  followed  by  a  century  of  an- 
archy; and  his  sons  and  grandsons  nearly  ruined  the 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

kingdom  that  had  once  been  so  great  His  great- 
grandson,  Valdemar  III.,  was  successful  in  recover- 
ing some  of  the  lost  possessions ;  but  Copenhagen  had 
to  stand  several  attacks  from  jealous  neighbors.  On 
Valdemar's  death  in  1375,  his  daughter  Margaret 
reigned  first  as  regent  for  her  son  Olaf  and  then  as 
sole  sovereign.  Queen  Margaret,  called  the  "  Semir- 
amis  of  the  North,"  was  probably  the  best  ruler 
Denmark  ever  had.  She  soon  united  the  crowns  of 
Denmark,  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  endeavored  to 
keep  them  under  one  sceptre  by  the  act  known  as  the 
Union  of  Calmar  (1397),  which  was  intended  to 
make  the  alliance  permanent 

Margaret's  successor  was  her  great-nephew  Eric 
of  Pomerania,  whose  queen,  Philippa,  daughter  of 
Henry  IV.  of  England,  on  one  occasion,  during 
Eric's  absence  in  Sweden,  courageously  defended 
Copenhagen  against  the  fleets  of  the  Hanseatic 
League. 

Eric  lost  all  that  Queen  Margaret  had  gained,  as 
also  the  allegiance  of  his  subjects ;  and  ended  his  life 
in  obscurity.  Various  kings  had  tried  to  wrest 
Copenhagen  from  the  see  of  Koskilde ;  and,  in  1443, 
the  transference  was  made.  Since  that  date  Copen- 
hagen has  been  a  royal  residence. 

The  throne  of  Denmark  passed  from  Eric  to 
Christopher  of  Bavaria,  his  nephew,  who  had  a  short 
reign.  At  his  death,  in  1448,  the  Danes  selected 
Christian  of  Oldenburg,  a  descendant,  through  the 
maternal  line,  of  Valdemar  II. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Oldenburg 
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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

dynasty  was  unbroken  from  Christian  I.  to  the  death 
of  Frederick  VII.  in  1863.  Christian  acquired  the 
Duchy  of  Holstein  in  1460.  Christian  II.  ex- 
asperated the  Swedes  by  the  "  Stockholm  Blood 
Bath  "  (see  page  225),  and  by  other  acts  of  tyranny 
lost  his  throne,  and  was  imprisoned  for  life,  while 
his  uncle  Frederick  I.  reigned  in  his  place.  Sweden 
broke  away  under  Gustavus  Vasa  (see  page  226)  and 
became  a  powerful  country. 

Christian  I.  and  Christian  II.  cherished  great 
ambitions  of  making  Copenhagen  the  great  city  of 
the  Baltic;  and  the  city  had  to  endure  two  terrible 
sieges  in  the  reign  of  the  latter, — in  1523-24  and 
1535-36.  The  people  suffered  greatly.  "  They  had 
no  eatables  in  the  town,  neither  horses,  nor  dogs, 
nor  cats,  nor  crows,  nor  anything  but  the  leaves  of 
the  trees."  The  city  was  therefore  starved  into 
surrender. 

The  greatest  king  of  this  dynasty  was  Christian 
IV.,  who  was  wise,  liberal  and  enlightened,  but  who 
was  so  checked  in  every  way  by  the  powerful  nobles 
that  he  was  little  more  than  president  of  a  body  of 
aristocrats.  Copenhagen  was,  however,  happy  and 
prosperous  during  his  reign;  for  the  king  was  not 
only  a  warrior  and  statesman,  but  a  patron  of  art 
and  learning,  and  a  great  builder.  He  improved  the 
city  by  fortifications  and  many  fine  buildings,  in- 
cluding the  Exchange,  and  the  Palace  of  Rosenborg, 
and  other  characteristic  edifices  that  give  Copen- 
hagen its  individuality.  He  also  founded  the  town, 
Christianshavn  on  the  island  of  Amager. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

During  the  reign  of  the  son  of  Christian  IV., 
^Frederick  III.,  the  nobles  were  so  lacking  in  patriot- 
ism and  force  that  Charles  X.  of  Sweden  was  able  to 
wrest  Denmark's  provinces  east  of  the  Sound  away 
from  her.  Then  it  was  that  the  people  conferred 
absolute  sovereignty  upon  the  King  of  Denmark  and 
his  successors. 

This  was  the  turning-point  for  Copenhagen. 
Thenceforth  it  became  the  centre  of  the  nation's 
life,  art  and  learning.  The  new  quarter  Fredericks- 
holm  was  incorporated  at  this  time ;  and  the  fortifica- 
tions were  extended.  Christian  V.  (1670-1699)' 
enlarged  the  Harbor,  widened  the  streets,  and  en- 
couraged the  building  of  stone  houses. 

During  the  Eighteenth  Century,  Copenhagen  suf- 
fered great  disasters.  A  fleet  of  English,  Dutch  and 
Swedish  ships  bombarded  it  in  1700 ;  it  was  visited 
by  a  plague  in  1711;  and  a  great  fire  in  1728  re- 
duced two-fifths  of  the  town  to  ashes.  Another  ter- 
rible fire  occurred  in  1795. 

Owing  to  the  neutral  position  Denmark  occupied 
during  the  great  wars  that  swept  over  Europe  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  century  Danish  commerce  and 
shipping  increased  greatly.  Crichton  tells  us  that: 

"  This  favorable  state  of  things  suffered  a  short 
interruption  by  the  hostilities  commenced  by  Eng- 
land in  1802,  with  a  view  to  compelling  Denmark  to 
secede  from  the  league  of  the  armed  neutrality, 
formed  by  neutral  states  for  the  protection  of  their 
commerce.  Then  the  famous  battle  of  the  2d  April, 
1802,  was  fought  in  the  roadstead  of  Copenhagen 

190 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

between  a  division  of  the  English  fleet  under  BTelson 
and  the  southern  part  of  the  Danish  '  line  of 
defence/  a  number  of  old  ships'  hulks,  moored  or 
grounded  on  the  shallow  sands  of  Amager,  while  the 
Danish  fleet  lay  moored  and  unequipped  in  the 
harbor." 

The  action  lasted  from  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  although  the  Danes 
fought  valiantly  one  vessel  struck  after  another. 
The  loss  of  the  British  was  reckoned  at  1,200  and 
the  Danes  6,000.  Nelson  said  to  the  Crown  Prince's 
aide-de-camp :  "  I  have  been  in  105  engagements  in 
the  course  of  my  life;  but  that  of  to-day  was  the 
most  terrible  of  them  all." 

"  A  melancholy  scene  of  misery  and  ruin  now  pre- 
sented itself  to  the  conquerors ;  white  flags  were  fly- 
ing from  the  mastheads  of  the  Danish  ships  and  guns 
of  distress  were  occasionally  discharged,  while  the 
burning  vessels,  floating  in  the  distance,  threw  a  dis- 
mal light,  which,  from  being  clear  and  serene,  had 
become  suddenly  overcast.  The  sea  was  covered 
with  English  boats,  generously  rendering  assistance 
to  those  who  were  endeavoring  to  escape  from  the 
flaming  wrecks.  In  the  capital  every  house  was 
filled  with  mourners;  the  streets  were  occupied  with 
funeral-trains  attending  the  dead,  or  with  weeping 
friends  conveying  their  wounded  relatives  back  to 
those  hearths  which  they  had  so  nobly  defended. 
Melancholy  tributes  were  afterwards  paid  to  the 
brave  men  who  had  fallen  in  the  conflict;  a  public 
mausoleum  was  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  slain 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

liad  been  interred,  and  a  monument  was  raised  in 
the  principal  church  in  the  city. 

"  When  Nelson  got  permission  to  land,  and 
went  on  shore  attended  by  Captains  Hardy  and 
Fremantle  to  adjust  terms  of  conciliation  he  was  re- 
ceived by  the  generous  citizens  without  a  murmur, 
and  treated  by  the  accomplished  prince  with  every 
mark  of  respect  The  conduct  of  the  people  was 
such  as  became  a  gallant  nation,  depressed  but  not 
subdued  by  misfortune."  * 

The  second  war  with  England  of  1807  was  under- 
taken because  England,  having  heard  that  Napoleon 
was  about  to  attack  Denmark  in  order  to  capture  her 
fleet,  decided  to  do  this  for  herself  and  frustrate  his 
plans;  consequently  the  British  fleet  with  20,000 
men  appeared  at  Copenhagen  and  demanded  sur- 
render. Copenhagen  attempted  to  defend  herself, 
but  after  a  bombardment  of  three  days  yielded ;  and 
the  English  sailed  away  with  the  remaining  Danish 
boats.  A  great  part  of  Copenhagen  was  destroyed. 

In  1814,  Denmark  lost  Norway;  and,  in  1864, 
Slesvig  and  Holstein. 

In  1867,  the  fortifications  of  Copenhagen  were 
demolished  and  the  ramparts  levelled;  and  about 
1870  Copenhagen  began  to  be  a  modern  city  with 
wide  boulevards,  quays  and  splendid  docks. 

Copenhagen  may  be  said  to  begin  where  the  little 

town  of  Elsinore  ends,  where  the  waves  of  the  Catte- 

gat  pass  into  the  sheltered  waters   of  the   Sound. 

Elsinore  is  an  ancient  commercial  town,  chiefly  in- 

*Crichton,  "Scandinavia." 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

teresting  on  account  of  the  old  Castle  of  Kroriborg, 
•with  its  picturesque  turrets,  gables  and  spires,  dating 
from  the  time  of  Christian  IV.,  who  in  1635-37  re- 
stored the  Castle,  originally  built  by  Frederick  II. 
in  1574—75,  and  which  had  been  nearly  destroyed 
by  fire.  From  its  ramparts  salutes  are  fired  to  greet 
incoming  vessels ;  for  the  Castle  is  now  chiefly  used 
as  barracks. 

"  It  is  as  though  Denmark's  history  stood  there," 
says  a  Danish  writer,  "  keeping  watch  at  the  outer- 
most point  on  the  outermost  redoubt.  Traditions 
from  the  earliest  times  cling  to  these  old  walls. 
Down  in  the  deepest  vault,  behind  walls  which  none 
can  penetrate,  sits  Holger  Danske,  the  nation's  hero. 
He  has  slept  for  a  thousand  years.  His  white  beard 
has  grown  fast  to  the  stone  table  while  he  slept.  But 
when  the  last  die  is  to  be  cast  to  decide  the  fate  of 
Denmark — and  they  have  played  high  and  they  have 
played  long  for  the  land  of  the  Danes — then  the  hero 
will  awake,  tear  his  white  beard  from  the  table  and 
grip  his  sword  for  the  final  struggle. 

"  Far  down  below  Holger  Danske  waits  his  day ; 
Hamlet's  shade  wanders  on  the  ramparts  above." 

"  Kronborg  possesses  one  great  advantage  over  the 
other  Danish  buildings  of  the  Sixteenth  Century," 
wrote  Horace  Marryat.  "  It  is  built  of  fine  sand- 
stone, the  only  specimen  in  the  kingdom.  Though 
quadrangular  and  four-towered,  it  is  relieved  from 
all  appearance  of  formality  by  the  quaint  onion 
pagoda-like  minarets  by  which  its  towers  are  sur- 
mounted. The  lofty  clock  turret,  too,  rising  from 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  centre  higher  than  those  which  flank  the  corners, 
adds  to  the  dignity  of  the  building.  Few  castles  in 
the  space  of  three  hundred  years  have  suffered  so 
little  from  modern  additions  and  improvement. 

"  You  enter  the  interior  court  through  a  richly 
ornamented  gateway,  guarded  by  statues  and  over- 
hung by  a  beautiful  oriel  window,  enriched  with  the 
arms  and  ciphers  of  the  founder.  Opposite  to  you 
stands  the  chapel  (the  works  of  Rubens  have  long 
since  disappeared) ;  the  fittings  of  the  time  of 
Christian  IV.  have  been  restored,  but  not  too  care- 
fully. It  is  curious  to  trace,  as  you  can  by  the  tur- 
ret to  the  right  of  the  clock,  the  gradual  transition 
from  the  Gothic  to  the  Renaissance.  The  whole  of 
the  ornaments  are  of  the  latter  period;  but  there  is 
still  occasionally  a  sort  of  feeling  as  if  the  architect 
was  not  quite  decided  in  his  views :  whether  he  was 
or  not,  Kronborg  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  specimens 
of  its  era — unspoiled,  untouched  and  unrepaired — to 
be  met  with  in  Europe.  It  has  long  ceased  to  be 
occupied  as  a  royal  residence.  One  side  is  alone  re- 
served for  the  use  of  His  Majesty;  the  rest  is  oc- 
cupied by  the  General  Commandant,  the  officers  and 
the  garrison.  Above  the  entrance  of  the  clock-tower, 
surrounding  the  ornaments,  appears  the  head  of  a 
huge  mastiff,  holding  in  his  fore-paws  a  heart-like 
shield,  with  the  cypher  of  Frederick  II.,  and  below 
the  favorite  device  of  the  King,  "  T.  I.  W.  B. 
Treu  ist  Wilt  Bratt."  The  same  Wildbratt,  whose 
portrait  is  above,  was  the  favorite  of  King  Frederick, 
and  bit  everybody  save  his  royal  master.  Over  the 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

other  door  appears  the  device  of  his  good  queen — 
good  Queen  Sophia  of  Mecklenburg — '  Heine  Hoff- 
nung  zu  Gott  allein'  (My  hope  is  in  God  alone). 
"Within  the  dungeon  of  the  corner  tower,  that  of  the 
Restoration,  adjoining  the  wine-cellars  of  Christian 
IV.,  where  a  jolly  fat  tun  carved  in  stone  above  the 
entrance  leaves  no  doubt  of  its  identity,  was  situated 
the  torture-chamber  in  days  gone  by. 

After  the  peace  of  1659,  when  Skaane  was  lost  to 
Denmark  forever,  the  windows  of  Kronborg  Castle, 
which  commanded  a  view  of  the  Swedish  coast,  were 
walled  up,  to  exclude  a  sight  which  caused  so  many 
heart-burnings. " 

Here,  too,  are  shown  the  apartments  of  the  young 
Queen  of  Christian  VII.  Caroline  Matilda,  who 
was  brought  here  from  Fredricksberg  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  and  expected  to  be  executed.  From  the 
octagonal  closet  of  the  lighthouse  tower  she  strained 
her  eyes  day  by  day  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  the 
English  fleet  that  she  heard  was  on  its  way  to  rescue 
her.  Her  son  Frederick  VI.  never  visited  Elsinore 
— the  memory  of  his  mother's  imprisonment  was 
too  painful ;  and  so  the  royal  apartments  were  aban- 
doned as  a  Court  residence  and  all  the  furniture  re- 
moved or  destroyed. 

All  associations,  however,  pale  before  the  romantic 
story  of  Hamlet.  The  whole  Castle  of  Kronborg 
seems  to  belong  to  him.  The  Flag  Battery,  to  the 
left  of  the  west  entrance,  is  "  the  platform  before  the 
Castle,"  where  Shakespeare  makes  Hamlet  watch 
in  company  with  his  friends,  Horatio  and  Marccllus, 

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for  his  father's  Ghost  in  the  "nipping  and  eager 
air  "  of  midnight,  while  the  sounds  of  revelry  were 
heard  from  within  the  Castle,  where  the  King  kept 
wassail. 

In  the  park  of  Marienlysi  Castle,  not  far  away, 
Hamlet's  tomb,  overshadowed  by  beeches,  is  shown  to 
the  traveller,  who  may  believe  it  or  not,  as  he  pleases. 
From  the  north-west  tower  an  extensive  view  may  be 
had  of  the  wooded  coast  of  Zealand  and  of  the  lovely 
Sound  from  Kullen  to  the  island  of  Hveen. 

"  The  Sound !  "  exclaims  a  Danish  writer,  Her- 
man Bang.  "  There  is  no  Dane  but  yearns  for  it, 
and  no  stranger  who,  once  having  seen  it,  ever  for- 
gets it.  See  it  on  a  day  in  July,  when  the  water  is 
violet-blue,  and  the  woods  on  the  coast  along  which 
we  are  sailing  have  turned  dark,  and  the  villas  are 
lost  among  gardens  thick  with  roses,  and  the  sky  is 
like  a  deep  still  ocean.  Or  see  it  towards  autumn 
when  the  billows  are  dark  and  tipped  with  white, 
when  the  woods  look  grave,  as  though  they  were 
guarding  dark  secrets,  and  the  sky  is  like  glass. 
Every  outline  is  sharp  as  though  it  were  lighted  up. 
The  Hermitage  in  the  midst  of  its  beautiful  plain, 
the  houses  on  the  slopes  of  Skodsborg,  and,  a  long 
way  further  down,  the  massive  dome  of  the  Marble 
Church  towering  above  everything  else — these  all 
shine ;  while  the  Sound  itself  is  dark  and  the  woods 
are  as  solemn  as  the  portals  of  a  church. 

"  Then  the  Sound  is  beautiful. 

"  Then  one  understands  why  all  Danes  long  to 
dwell  here ;  why  the  capital  of  Denmark  was  founded 

196 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

here ;  and  why  all  her  poets  have  sung  the  praises  of 
these  waters  and  this  coast." 

When  Kronborg  was  built,  both  sides  of  the  Sound 
belonged  to  Denmark.  All  ships  were  obliged  to 
stop  at  Elsinore  to  pay  the  Sound  duties.  These 
were  removed  in  1857 ;  and  in  consequence  Elsinore 
is  now  little  more  than  a  summer  village. 

"  Imagine  yourself  on  the  deck  of  a  ship  sailing 
past  Kronborg,  past  Elsinore,  into  the  Sound,  along 
the  coast  of  Zealand,  past  country  house  after  coun- 
try house,  village  after  village.  Behind  them  all 
stretches  the  forest — mighty,  luxuriant,  radiant  and 
high,  as  only  a  beech  forest  can  be — the  belt  of  the 
Sound.  Go  ashore  where  you  will.  Land,  if  you 
choose,  at  Rungsted.  You  have  merely  to  cross  a 
road,  and  you  are  in  the  forest.  !Nbt  a  heavy  forest 
of  oaks,  not  a  forest  of  pines  in  whose  stillness  the 
birds  dare  not  sing,  but  a  beech  forest  where  it  is 
light  in  spite  of  the  massive  tree  tops,  mild  in  spite 
of  the  giant  trunks — and  full  of  song;  for  in  the 
beech-wood  all  the  birds  sing. 

"  We  proceed  further  along  the  coast  of  Zealand, 
— still  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer  seeing  country 
house  after  country  house  like  a  fringe.  Now  they 
group  themselves  once  more  into  a  town.  It  is 
Vedbcek.  Those  white  banks,  those  high  houses, 
those  numerous  verandahs — that  is  Skodsborg,  now 
perhaps  the  most  renowned  of  all  the  beautiful  places 
along  the  Sound.  Elsinore  is  the  Past,  Skodsborg 
is  the  Present  of  this  coast  In  front  of  the  slope, 
the  great  expanse  of  blue  water  spreads  itself  out 

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with  the  sky  for  its  border.  From  the  midst  of  all 
this  summer  blue  a  long  way  out  white  banks  rise. 
That  is  the  island  of  Hveen  where  Denmark's  great 
son,  Tycho  Brahe,  the  astronomer,  erected  his 
Uranienborg." 

The  villas  of  Skodsborg,  the  country  homes  of 
Copenhagen's  wealthy  citizens,  are  embowered  in 
flowers  and  hedges  of  wild  roses.  Next  come  the 
villages  of  Taarbcek  and  Klampeiiborg,  on  the  edge 
of  a  lovely  Deer  Park,  Dyrehaven,  in  which  stands 
the  old  royal  hunting-lodge,  "  The  Hermitage." 
This  was  built  by  Christian  VI.  in  1736 ;  but  is  now 
turned  into  a  restaurant.  It  stands  on  a  little  rising 
of  the  ground  and  overlooks  the  plain  that  slopes 
towards  the  glittering  Sound.  The  Danish  races  are 
run  here  in  summer,  and  for  a  few  days  the  place  is 
very  gay  with  sportsmen  from  Sweden,  Norway, 
Denmark  and  Germany. 

Though  the  days  of  royal  hunting  are  over,  the 
forest  is  one  enormous  preserve  fenced  in  with 
hedges  for  many  miles,  and  is  entered  through  large 
gates  painted  red  and  bearing  the  royal  diadem. 
The  enormous  herd  of  deer,  with  its  celebrated  white 
stags,  belongs  to  the  King,  and  none  but  the  King's 
keeper  is  allowed  to  kill  them. 

As  we  approach  Copenhagen,  the  fortress  of 
Trekoner,  with  its  cannon  on  the  ramparts,  marks 
the  division  between  the  outer  and  inner  roadsteads. 
In  the  latter,  royal  yachts  are  often  lying  at  anchor. 
First,  we  notice  the  great  Free  Port  of  Copenhagen, 
a  masterpiece  of  engineering,  consisting  of  land  re- 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

claimed  from  the  sea  and  converted  into  docks  and 
quays  in  1893—1894.  Ships  and  steamers  ply  be- 
tween it  and  the  old  Harbour,  at  the  entrance 
of  which  is  situated  the  Custom  House  (Toldbod). 
A  beautiful  promenade,  the  Langelinie ,  bordered 
with  fine  old  trees,  delights  the  eye,  which  also  notes 
the  many  pleasure  boats  of  all  descriptions  that  lie 
in  a  small  protected  harbor  at  this  point;  for  the 
boat  and  yacht  clubs  of  Copenhagen  have  their  head- 
quarters here.  Ship  yards,  granaries,  warehouses, 
the  royal  dock  yard,  training  ships  and  the  docks  of 
the  Thingvalla  Line  that  trades  with  New  York,  are 
passed,  as  well  as  Amalienborg,  the  royal  residence. 
The  dome  that  shines  in  the  sunlight  above  the  town 
is  Frederick  Church.  Just  above  a  bridge,  Knip- 
pelsbro,  which  connects  Copenhagen  with  the  old 
suburb  of  Christianshavn,  on  the  island  of  Amager, 
our  boat  enters  the  canal  that  surrounds  the  island 
of  Slotsholmen.  We  pass  the  fish-market  on  Gammel 
Strand  and  arrive  at  the  harbour,  Kalvebodstrand, 
with  the  suburb  of  Vesterbro  in  the  distance,  and  in 
front  of  us  an  extensive  view  of  the  Baltic. 

Copenhagen,  "  the  Merchants'  Haven,"  is  situated 
on  the  island,  Zealand,  in  the  Sound,  which  is  here 
about  fifteen  miles  wide,  and  the  island  of  Amager, 
or  Amok,  which  is  separated  from  Zealand  by  a  nar- 
row arm  of  the  Baltic  which  forms  a  splendid  har- 
bor. The  city  proper  is  on  Zealand  and  the  town  on 
Amager  is  known  as  Christianshavn  and  these  are 
connected  by  the  bridges  called  Langebro  and  Knip- 
pelsbro. 

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The  island  of  Amager  is  the  nursery  garden  of 
Copenhagen,  and  upon  it  dwell  descendants  of  the 
Dutch  colonists  who  settled  here  in  1516,  and  who 
have  preserved  their  national  costumes,  manners  and 
customs. 

In  all  European  cities,  there  is  one  principal 
square  around  which  life  concentrates  and  circulates. 
In  Copenhagen,  it  is  Kongens  Nytorv  (the  King's 
New  Market),  an  irregular  space  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  old  city,  the  centre  of  which  is  adorned  with 
*  an  equestrian  statue  of  Christian  V.,  popularly 
called  Hesten  (the  Horse).  From  Kongens  ISTytorv 
thirteen  streets  radiate  in  various  directions;  and 
around  the  square  are  situated  many  fashionable 
iotels,  cafes,  restaurants,  business  offices,  the  Royal 
Theatre  and  Charlottenborg.  The  latter  was  built  in 
1672,  and  purchased  in  1700  by  Queen  Charlotte 
Amelia  for  a  residence.  Since  1754,  it  has  been  the 
home  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Art.  Beyond  Char- 
lottenborg, the  Nyhavn  Kanal,  an  arm  of  the  Har- 
bour, bordered  with  quaint  gabled  houses,  takes  the 
visitor  into  a  bygone  period.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  spots  in  the  city. 

Bredgade,  leading  north  out  of  Kongens  !N"ytorv, 
is  the  most  fashionable  street  for  residences.  On  the 
right  and  fronting  Amalienborg-Plads,  or  Square,  is 
Amalienborg,  the  residence  of  the  King  of  Denmark. 
On  Bredgade  stand  many  other  palaces,  and  town 
houses  of  royal  and  noble  personages.  We  are  now 
in  the  very  centre  of  elegance  and  fashion. 

The  Amalienborg-Plads  is  as  handsome  and  aris- 
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Copyright,  1910.  by  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

PALACE  SQUARE,  COPENHAGEN 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

tocratic  a  square  as  may  be  found  in  Europe.  An 
equestrian  statue  of  Frederick  Y.  ornaments  the 
centre;  and  not  far  away  rises  the  noble  dome  of 
[Frederick's  Church.  Four  similar  rococo  buildings 
enclose  the  Square  originally  intended  for  separate 
palaces,  but  now  together  form  the  Royal  Palace, 
Amalienborg.  The  King  lives  in  the  building  on 
the  south-east,  originally  built  for  Count  Moltke ;  the 
Coronation  and  other  State  rooms  are  in  the  build- 
ing on  the  south-west;  the  Crown  Prince  lives  in  the 
north-east;  and  the  Minister  of  the  Exterior  in  the 
north-west. 

A  visitor  in  1908  says  : 

"  Here  tourists  congregate  at  the  hour  of  12  A.  M., 
to  see  the  guard  changed.  On  a  bright  day,  when 
this  circle  of  rococo  palaces  has  a  vivid  blue  sky  as 
a  background,  Amalienborg  is  worth  a  visit.  Its 
charm  lies  in  its  air  of  apartness  from  the  rest  of 
the  world.  It  is  like  a  palace  in  a  fairy  tale.  The 
long,  narrow  scarlet  sentry-boxes  at  each  corner  look 
hardly  large  enough  to  hold  real  soldiers.  One  finds 
oneself  wishing  that  a  peacock  would  appear  from 
somewhere,  with  tail  outspread,  across  the  grey 
courtyard.  It  is  the  one  touch  lacking  to  make 
Amalienborg  quite  a  fairy  palace." 

On  Bredgade  are  the  Surgeons'  Hall,  one  of  the 
finest  buildings  in  Copenhagen;  King  Frederick's 
Hospital;  the  Houses  of  the  Rigsdag,  the  Danish 
Parliament;  the  Russian  Church  with  its  three  gilt 
onion-shaped  cupolas;  and  the  palace  of  Count 
Schimmelmann,  now  the  Koncert  Palais. 

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From  Bredgade,  St.  Annae-Plads,  a  wide  avenue, 
runs  down  to  the  harbor.  The  Amalie-Gade  starts 
from  the  St.  Annae-Plads,  and  runs  through  the 
Amalienborg-Plads  in  straight  line  to  the  Esplanade. 
Bredgade,  running  parallel  to  Amalie-Gade,  also 
enters  the  Esplanade,  with  its  pretty  grounds,  north 
of  which  is  the  Citadel  of  Frederikshavn,  surrounded 
by  a  broad  moat.  On  the  right,  and  extending  about 
a  mile  north  is  the  enchanting  promenade,  Lange- 
linie. 

P.  C.  V.  Hansen,  a  Dane,  exclaims  with  en- 
thusiasm : 

"  "Not  many  towns  can  boast  of  its  equal.  The 
water  that  washes  against  this  promenade  is  not  that 
of  a  quiet  lake;  it  is  the  salt  water  of  the  Sound, 
where  steamers,  war-ships,  moving,  or  at  anchor, 
take  the  place  of  swans  and  small  boats.  The  rising 
road  leading  from  the  town  to  Langelinie  passes  be- 
tween splendid  beds  of  roses;  from  the  top  of  the 
rise  there  is  a  charming  view.  On  the  one  side  lies 
the  English  Church  of  St.  Albans,  a  beautiful  Gothic 
edifice  with  a  shady  avenue  in  front,  and  at  the  back 
the  old  moat  of  the  Kastel  which  reflects  the  slender 
beauty  of  the  building  in  its  dark  waters.  Beyond 
the  moat  is  the  rampart  of  the  Kastel,  with  its 
splendid  leafy  old  trees.  On  the  other  side,  beyond 
the  promenade,  one  sees  the  custom-house  and  the 
harbor,  and  looking  townwards,  the  royal  residential 
palace  of  Amalienborg  is  visible. 

"  On  Langelinie  romance  and  reality  meet.  On 
the  left  hand  is  the  rampart  of  the  Kastel,  a  bit  of 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

genuine  old  romance  which  carries  our  thoughts  far 
away  from  the  modern  surroundings.  On  the  right 
hand  we  have  the  roadstead,  alive  with  ships,  and  the 
large  ship-yards  with  their  ceaseless  noise  of  ham- 
mering— a  picture  of  bustling  modern  life.  As  we 
proceed,  the  Free  Port  comes  in  view ;  little  by  little 
the  ramparts  disappear,  hidden  behind  the  ware- 
houses— the  reality  of  life  has  vanquished  romance. 

"  The  last  portion  of  the  promenade,  a  straight, 
narrow  line  passes  over  the  roofs  of  some  of  the  ware- 
houses of  the  Free  Port.  To  the  one  side,  far  be- 
low, lies  the  huge  Free  Port,  with  its  stirring  life; 
and  to  the  other,  just  below  the  promenade,  is  the 
Sound  with  the  naval  fortifications,  and  on  the 
horizon  the  island  of  Hveen  and  the  coast  of  Sweden. 
It  is  fresh  and  bracing  out  here,  and  the  view  from 
the  lighthouse  at  the  end  of  the  walk  is  magnificent. 

"  Langelinie  should  be  seen  on  a  Sunday  morning 
in  spring,  when  the  whole  of  Copenhagen  turns  out 
to  show  off  the  new  toilettes,  when  there  is  scarcely 
elbow  room  for  walkers,  when  the  drive  is  crowded 
with  smart  carriages,  when  there  is  not  an  empty 
chair  in  the  restaurant  pavilion,  and  every  seat 
along  the  promenade  is  occupied.  But  it  is  at  its 
very  best  on  a  summer  evening,  when  the  noise  from 
the  Free  Port  and  the  ship-yards  has  subsided,  when 
the  waves  of  the  Sound  are  at  rest,  and  the  dark 
forms  of  the  ships  stand  out  in  silhouette  against  the 
starry  night  sky.  Then  a  walk  along  Langelinie  is 
a  poem — a  poem  set  to  music  by  the  nightingale  in 
the  trees  of  the  old  ramparts,  or  the  ship's  boy  with 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

his  melancholy  concertina  on  some  vessel  in  the 
roads." 

Leading  west  from  Kongens  Xytorv,  the  wide 
boulevard  called  Gothers-Gade,  takes  us  to  the  Botan- 
ical Gardens,  laid  out  in  1871-1874  on  the  site  of 
the  old  ramparts.  On  the  way,  we  pass  the  Palace 
of  Rosenborg  and  its  famous  grounds. 

This  lovely  park,  called  the  King's  Garden,  was 
laid  out  at  the  beginning  of  the  Seventeenth  Century 
by  Christian  IV.  and  has  all  the  charm  of  antiquity. 
The  fountain  in  the  centre  daily  attracts  the  chil- 
dren and  nursemaids  of  Copenhagen.  Avenues  of 
old  trees,  beautiful  flower  beds  and  a  few  old  pavil- 
ions and  statues  form  other  attractions.  Here  is 
the  famous  statue  of  Hans  Christian  Andersen, 
seated,  and  supposed  to  be  telling  a  fairy-tale. 

Rosenberg  Castle  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
buildings  in  Copenhagen.  When  Christian  IV. 
built  it  in  1604-1610,  it  was  outside  of  the  city, 
and  enclosed  by  the  ramparts  of  Copenhagen,  now 
changed  into  boulevards.  It  was  used  as  a  royal 
residence  until  the  beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. The  castle  is  built  in  the  style  of  the  Dutch 
Renaissance  and  has  several  towers,  the  highest  of 
which  is  three  hundred  feet  and  ends  in  three  grad- 
uated cupolas,  or  lanterns,  composed  of  open-work 
arches  and  placed  one  above  the  other.  Since  the 
time  of  King  Frederick  III.  (1648-1670),  Rosen- 
borg has  been  used  as  a  storehouse  for  the  treasures 
of  the  royal  family  —  robes,  jewels,  weapons,  and 
other  valuables.  The  collection  was  increased  from 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

other  royal  palaces  and  turned  into  a  museum  in 
1863.  The  rooms  have  been  arranged  and  furnished 
in  various  styles. 

"  In  passing  through  the  castle,"  writes  P.  Brock, 
"  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  successive  periods  of  culture 
of  the  last  three  centuries,  and  of  the  history  of 
Denmark  at  those  periods.  The  Danish  national 
song,  "  King  Christian  stood  by  the  lofty  mast," 
which  celebrates  the  naval  battle  of  Fehmern  in  the 
Baltic  July  1,  1644,  in  which  Christian  IV.  was 
wounded,  is  illustrated  in  the  museum  by  such  na- 
tional relics  as  pieces  of  the  suit  which  he  wore  on 
board  the  line-of-battle  ship,  The  Trinity,  when  he 
was  wounded — still  stained  with  his  blood — and  two 
small  gold  enamelled  hands,  one  holding  a  piece  of 
the  Swedish  iron  cannon-ball,  and  the  other  a  piece 
of  the  Danish  bronze  cannon-ball  by  which  his  fore- 
head and  eye  were  struck.  These  were  worn  as  ear- 
pendants  by  one  of  his  daughters  in  memory  of  the 
battle. 

"  The  Knights'  Hall  is  very  imposing ;  its  mag- 
nificent arched  stucco  ceiling  dates  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Eighteenth  Century;  the  twelve  large 
pieces  of  tapestry  on  the  walls,  representing  the  most 
important  events  of  the  Scanian  war  (1675-1679), 
were  woven  in  the  manufactory  of  the  Dutchman, 
Bernt  van  der  Eichen,  in  Denmark,  towards  the  end 
of  the  Seventeenth  Century.  In  front  of  the  great 
fireplace  at  the  northern  end  of  the  hall  is  a  velvet 
canopy,  underneath  which  are  the  coronation  chairs 
of  the  king  and  queen;  the  king's  is  made  of  nar- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

whal-horn  and  adorned  with  eight  allegorical  figures ; 
the  queen's  is  covered  with  solid  silver  and  adorned 
with  two  figures  which  represent  the  Fear  of  God  and 
Charity.  Before  the  coronation  chairs  stand  three 
silver  lions,  representing  the  Sound,  the  Great  Belt 
and  the  Little  Belt.  At  the  opposite  end  of  the  hall 
is  the  royal  silver-gilt  baptismal  font,  which  is  still 
used.  Two  tower  rooms,  adjoining  the  Knights' 
Hall,  contain  fine  collections  of  very  rare  old  Vene- 
tian glass,  and  of  Chinese,  Japanese,  Indian,  Dres- 
den, French,  Swedish  and  Danish  porcelain." 

In  Rosenborg  are  also  exhibited  specimens  of  the 
insignia  of  the  Order  of  the  Elephant,  the  highest 
Danish  order,  founded  in  1457  and  renewed  in 
1693 ;  and  the  mysterious  Oldenburg  Horn  of  1474. 

A  legend  says  that  one  day  in  989,  when  Count 
Otto  I.  of  Oldenburg  was  hunting  in  the  forest,  a 
lovely  fairy  appeared  before  him  with  this  drinking- 
horn.  She  promised  him  every  fortune  if  he 
emptied  it  and  every  misfortune  if  he  refused  to  do 
so.  The  knight  threw  away  the  contents  and  kept  the 
horn,  notwithstanding  the  fairy's  entreaties  to  give 
it  back  to  her.  It  is  a  pity  to  spoil  such  a  pretty 
story,  but  the  truth  is  that  the  Oldenburg  Horn  was 
made  by  German  artists  for  Christian  I.  of  Denmark 
in  1479  when  he  visited  Cologne  to  reconcile  Charles 
the  Bold,  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the  Emperor  Fred- 
erick ILL  It  is  made  of  silver,  and  is  richly  gilt 
and  ornamented  with  coats-of-arms  of  Denmark,  the 
Empire  and  Burgundy,  and  other  devices  illustrating 
King  Christian's  mission.  If  this  had  been  success- 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

ftil,  his  intention  was  to  present  it  to  the  Chapel  of 
the  Holy  Kings  in  the  Cologne  Cathedral;  but  the 
king  being  unsuccessful,  he  kept  the  treasure.  The 
Oldenburg  Horn  remained  in  the  family  castle  of 
Oldenburg  for  two  hundred  years  and  was  subse- 
quently brought  to  Copenhagen. 

There  are  many  other  splendid  gold  and  silver 
drinking-horns  of  various  periods  and  a  valued  relic 
of  the  days  of  Christian  V.,  the  Wismar  Cup  of 
beautifully  worked  crystal.  In  Kosenborg  is  also 
the  fine  collection  of  Venetian  glass  brought  home 
from  Italy  by  Frederick  IV. — perhaps  the  finest  of 
its  kind  in  existence;  and  there  is  also  a  wonderful 
collection  of  porcelain,  particularly  of  old  Dresden 
and  blue  Sevres. 

Rosenborg  faces  a  wide  boulevard,  Ostervolds- 
Gade  on  which  stands  the  Observatory  with  a  statue 
of  the  great  Danish  astronomer,  Tycho  Brahe,  in 
front;  and  a  little  farther  away  the  Art  Museum. 
Ostervolds-Gade  continues  on  the  north  until  it 
reaches  the  Citadel. 

Going  south  its  continuation  Norrevolgade  leads 
past  Orsted  Park,  the  most  ornamental  of  Copen- 
hagen's five  parks.  The  landscape  gardener  has 
done  his  best  here,  having  arranged  beautiful  vistas, 
artistically  composed  clumps  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
lawns  with  brilliant  flower  beds,  and  lakes  on  which 
swans  are  seen  in  great  numbers.  The  park  is  also 
famous  for  its  collection  of  bronze  statues,  many  of 
which  are  copies  of  famous  Greek  sculpture  from 
the  Vatican,  the  Louvre,  Florence  and  Naples. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

There  is  also  a  bronze  statue  of  the  famous  Dane, 
Hans  Christian  Orsted,  for  whom  the  park  was 
named,  famous  for  his  discoveries  in  electricity. 

Between  the  old  town  and  the  suburbs,  three  con- 
tinuous lakes  form  a  sort  of  boundary,  and  their 
banks  are  dotted  with  many  attractive  villas.  On 
the  town  side,  there  is  a  wide  promenade  with  trees 
and  seats  by  the  edge  of  the  water  on  which  in- 
numerable swans  float  in  the  spring  and  summer. 
The  lakes  are  usually  filled  with  pleasure  boats,  and 
several  bridges  cross  the  lakes  into  the  populous 
suburb  of  Norrebro.  On  Queen  Louise's  Bridge  a 
continuous  stream  of  carriages,  wagons,  omnibuses, 
bicycles,  electric  cars  and  foot-passengers  makes  this 
one  of  the  best  spots  to  study  the  street  life  of  Copen- 
hagen. From  Queen  Louise's  Bridge  Gothers-Gade 
leads  without  a  turn  to  Kongens  Nytorv. 

On  the  west  of  Kongens  Nytorv  runs  Copen- 
hagen's most  fashionable  promenade  Oster  Gade, 
also  called  the  Stroget,  or  Strogtid,  always  thronged 
with  people,  but  gayest  in  the  afternoon  from  two  to 
four.  At  the  junction  of  Oster  Gade  and  Amager- 
torv  (which  is  really  a  continuation  of  that  street), 
is  a  square,  or  open  space,  called  Hojbro-Plads,  also 
a  centre  of  busy  life. 

"  This  thoroughfare  is  only  just  wide  enough  to 
allow  the  red  omnibuses,  which  ply  up  and  down  it 
between  Kongens  Nytorv  and  the  Raadhuis-Plads,  to 
pass  each  other.  The  trams  which  connect  these  two 
squares  have  to  go  round  over  Slotsholmen.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  its  narrowness,  this  is  the  favorite  promenade 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

of  the  citizens  of  Copenhagen,  who  may  have  walked 
up  and  down  here  between  the  shore  with  its  market 
and  the  Frue  KirTce  above,  before  the  days  of  Absa- 
lon.  Here  is  the  fashionable  promenade  during 
certain  hours  of  the  day,  and  here  are  the  best  shops, 
amongst  them  the  emporium  for  the  famous  Royal 
Danish  Porcelain.  An  astonishing  number  are  de- 
voted to  fancy  goods.  If  presents  are  weighing  on 
our  travellers'  minds — and  on  what  travellers  are 
they  not — a  visit  to  one  of  these  shops  will  remove 
the  load  without  necessarily  lightening  the  purses  or 
filling  up  their  boxes  to  any  alarming  extent.  For 
here  are  brooches,  miniature  flags,  Finnish  spoons, 
leather  goods  and  silver  goods  of  all  kinds,  and  pins 
— shamrock-headed,  mistletoe-headed,  flag-headed, 
snake-headed  pins, — all  small,  almost  all  inexpensive, 
and,  best  of  all  from  the  traveller's  point  of  view, 
neither  to  be  bought  nor  priced  in  our  own  islands. 
In  spite  of  the  fascinating  fancy-shops  a  walk 
through  this  busy  thoroughfare  is  not  an  unmixed 
pleasure.  The  Danes  have  a  curious  habit  of 
jostling  one  another,  and  they  do  not  spare  the  pass- 
ing traveller."  * 

From  Amagertorv,  passing  down   Vimmelskaftet 
we  come  to  Gammeltorv  and  Nytorv  (the  Old  and 
!N"ew  Market)  where  stand  some  solid  old  mercantile 
houses,   and  the  Old  Town  Hall,  not  so  very  old 
after  all,  as  it  was  only  erected  in  1805—1815.     In 
the  Gammeltorv  is  a  fountain,  which  on  the  birth- 
days of  the  King  and  Queen,  according  to  an  old 
*F.  M.  Butlin. 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

custom,  throws  up  golden  balls.  In  the  vicinity  are 
the  University;  the  University  Library,  with  its 
great  treasures,  including  many  Persian  and  Indian 
MSS. ;  the  Church  of  the  Trinity ;  and  the  Church  of 
Our  Lady,  the  Metropolitan  Church  of  Denmark. 

Everybody  goes  to  see  the  Church  of  the  Trinity, 
on  account  of  its  Round  Tower  (116  feet  high). 
This  famous  tower  was  built  by  Christian  IV.  for 
an  observatory,  and  was  used  for  this  purpose  for 
200  years.  It  is  composed  of  two  hollow  cylinders 
between  which  winds  a  spiral  inclined  plane  from 
the  street  to  the  summit,  and  of  such  easy  ascent  that 
the  Empress  Catherine  of  Russia  ascended  it  in 
1716,  in  a  coach  and  four,  preceded  by  her  husband, 
Peter  the  Great,  on  horseback.  There  is  a  perfect 
panoramic  view  of  the  city  to  be  had  from  the  plat- 
form at  the  top. 

The  Church  of  Our  Lady  also  deserves  a  visit 
The  simple  structure  built  in  1811-1820  to  replace 
the  magnificent  Frue  Kirke  with  its  spire  385 
high,  destroyed  by  the  English  in  1807,  is  heavy  and 
bare  in  style.  The  chief  entrance  is  a  Doric  portal 
with  six  columns.  The  church  is  a  kind  of  basilica 
and  is  lighted  from  above ;  and  the  light  falls  on  grey 
walls  and  columns  without  any  colored  decorations. 
Visitors  are  attracted  here  especially  to  see  the 
statues  designed  and  partly  made  by  Thorvaldsen. 
[From  this  point  we  can  take  another  busy  street, 
Kjobmager  Gade,  if  we  like,  back  to  Hojbro  Plads. 

From  the  Gammeltorv,  Frederiksberg  Gade  will 
take  us  to  another  open  space,  the  Raadhuis-Plads. 

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The  City  of  Copenhagen 

Tivoli  is  one  of  the  institutions  of  Copenhagen. 
It  was  established  in  1843  in  grounds  that  originally 
formed  part  of  the  fortifications.  Trees,  lawns, 
shrubs,  flower-beds,  a  large  lake  and  rural  walks 
render  Tivoli  a  place  of  beauty;  and  restaurants, 
cafes,  concert  halls,  orchestras,  variety  shows,  panto- 
mimes, an  open-air  theatre,  acrobats,  jugglers,  rope- 
dancers,  clowns,  athletes,  balloon  ascensions,  illumi- 
nations and  fireworks  contribute  to  its  popularity. 
A  son  of  Copenhagen,  Albert  Gnudzmann,  informs 
us  that  "  Tivoli  is  resorted  to  by  persons  of  all  ranks 
and  of  all  ages.  The  bearers  of  the  most  honored 
names  among  the  aristocracy  and  the  upper  middle 
class  are  met  side  by  side  with  workmen  and  peasants 
from  Zealand  and  the  south  of  Sweden;  here  come 
solitary  old  people  and  children  who  have  scarcely 
learned  to  walk,  the  families  of  sedate  citizens  and 
careless  students,  parents  with  their  children,  and 
young  men  with  their  sweethearts.  And  Tivoli  is 
a  great  cornucopia  which  offers  something  to  each 
one.  There  is  high  art  and  juggling;  there  is  the 
peaceful  idyll  and  the  brilliant  festival.  Its  pro- 
gramme is  a  gamut  of  the  most  varied  amusements, 
ranging  from  roundabouts  and  swings,  shooting- 
galleries  and  trials  of  strength  to  performances  by 
the  most  renowned  artists. 

"At  four  o'clock,  the  cannon  salute  announces 
that  Tivoli's  variegated  pleasures  are  to  begin. 
During  the  next  few  hours  people  stream  in  thou- 
sands through  the  stately  portal — an  expectant 
crowd,  dressed  in  its  Sunday  best,  and  conversing  in 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

foreign  tongues  as  well  as  in  the  dialects  of  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Sometimes  there  is  a  crush 
outside,  but,  once  in,  the  stream  divides  itself  and 
spreads  over  the  vast  grounds. 

"  On  gala  evenings,  it  is  perhaps  finest  by  the  lake, 
bordered  with  thousands  of  lamps,  which  are  mir- 
rored on  its  still  surface.  The  crowd  promenades  in 
ceaseless  march  round  its  margin,  and  on  the  water 
the  regular  stroke  of  the  oars  is  heard.  Boats  glide 
continually  to  and  fro,  swarming  round  a  full-rigged 
frigate  which  lies  moored  in  the  middle  of  the  lake. 
This  frigate  is  an  exact  copy  of  King  Christian 
IV. 's  battle  ship  Trefoldigheden  (The  Trinity)  ;  but 
accommodates  in  its  cabin  what  its  venerable  exterior 
would  never  suggest — a  variety  entertainment.  This 
is  of  a  comparatively  primitive  type,  and  cannot 
compete  with  its  distinguished  colleague,  the  Arena 
Theatre,  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake." 

Let  us  now  see  what  a  traveller  in  1909,  F.  M. 
Butlin,  has  to  say: 

"  It  is  only  in  the  evening  that  the  Tivoli  be- 
comes itself.  On  holidays  and  anniversaries  of 
which  the  most  important  is  its  own  birthday,  when 
the  gardens  are  illuminated  with  thousands  of  fairy 
lamps,  which  outline  the  slender  spires  of  the  con- 
cert hall,  turning  it  into  a  veritable  fairy  palace, 
with  the  many-colored  waters  of  the  fountain  as  a 
fitting  foreground ;  when  the  dark  groves  are  lighted 
up  with  vistas  of  many-colored  arches,  then  is  the 
time  to  visit  the  Tivoli.  Not  far  from  the  entrance, 
the  ground  slopes  down  to  the  quaint  little  panto- 

212 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

mime  theatre,  where,  in  place  of  a  curtain,  a  mag- 
nificent peacock  furls  and  unfurls  its  colossal  tail. 
Performances  are  given  at  intervals;  pantomimes, 
short  ballets,  living  pictures  and  dumb  shows  of  all 
kinds.  Between  times  a  band  performs  in  another 
part  of  the  grounds,  but  the  musical  centre  is  the 
concert  hall.  Here  the  music  is  of  the  best.  The 
body  of  the  hall  is  generally  crowded,  while  above 
in  the  broad  galleries  and  out  on  the  terrace,  supper 
is  going  on." 

On  Raadhuis-Plads,  formerly  the  Straw  market, 
a  busy  centre  for  traffic  between  the  inner  town  and 
the  suburb  of  Frederiksberg,  stands  the  new  Town 
Hall  built  in  the  Dutch  Renaissance  style  in  1892- 
1900,  and  adorned  with  bronze  figures  in  niches  and 
with  tall  towers  at  each  corner.  The  street  on  the 
west  is  Vesterbro  Passage,  the  beginning  of  Vester- 
bro-Gade,  one  of  the  liveliest  streets  of  the  city. 
Here  Tivoli  lies  to  the  south.  In  this  district  are 
the  Industrial  Art  Museum,  and  the  New,  or  Ny- 
Carlsberg  Glyptothek. 

Frederiksberg  Alleef  formerly  the  high  road  con- 
necting Copenhagen  with  the  village  of  Frederiks- 
berg on  the  west  (which  is  now,  however,  a  part  of 
Copenhagen),  is  one  of  the  finest  avenues  and  most 
frequented  promenades.  Frederiksberg  Allee  runs 
out  to  Frederiksberg  Have  the  great  park,  separated 
from  another  park,  the  Sondermarlcen,  by  a  high 
road.  These  parks  each  cover  an  area  of  about 
ninety  acres  and  are  favorite  resorts — especially  on 
Sundays  for  the  working-people,  tradesmen  and 

213 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

their  families,  who  as  a  rule  bring  their  baskets  of 
lunch  and  remain  all  day,  lying  on  the  grass  or 
playing  games. 

Frederiksberg  Park  is  particularly  interesting  on 
account  of  its  old  Castle,  which  is  now  a  military 
school.  Here  dwelt  Queen  Caroline  Matilda,  sister 
of  George  III.  of  England,  who  was  married  to 
Christian  VII.  at  the  age  of  fifteen;  and  here  she 
lived,  after  the  King  lost  his  mind,  with  the  Prime 
Minister  Struensee,  before  she  was  taken  to  Kron- 
berg. 

The  two  old  royal  summer  houses — one  built  in 
the  Swiss  style  and  the  other  in  the  Chinese — are 
still  in  existence  and  have  a  very  picturesque  effect 
among  the  trees.  Fine  avenues  of  beech,  lime  and 
chestnut  trees  lead  to  the  Castle,  near  which  is  the 
entrance  to  the  Zoological  Gardens.  These  are 
among  the  best  in  Europe.  Their  specialty  is  a  col- 
lection of  Arctic  animals.  From  "  Copenhagen 
Hill "  there  is  an  extended  view  of  the  distant  city. 

The  Sondermarken  is  like  a  wood;  and  parts  of 
it  are  quite  wild,  without  roads  or  pathways. 

In  the  grounds  of  the  Ny-Carlsberg  Brewery,  on 
the  south  of  Sondermarken,  stands  the  Old  Grlypto- 
ihek,  containing  a  very  complete  collection  of  an- 
cient Greek  and  Roman  sculpture,  the  gift  of  Mr. 
Carl  Jacobsen,  the  brewer.  The  Ny-Carlsberg  Glyp- 
thothek,  also  the  gift  of  Mr.  Jacobsen,  in  quite  a 
different  part  of  Copenhagen — east  of  Tivoli — is  de- 
voted to  modern  sculpture,  particularly  French  and 
Danish. 

214 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

Going  back  now  once  more  to  Kongens  Nytorv 
and  taking  the  Royal  Theatre  for  a  starting-point, 
Holmen's  Kanal  will  lead  us  to  the  Palace  Bridge, 
on  the  left  of  which  stands  Holmen's  Kirche,  built 
in  the  Seventeenth  Century,  and  well  restored,  con- 
taining a  fine  carved  altar  and  pulpit,  and  monu- 
ments to  naval  heroes. 

The  Palace  Bridge  takes  us  directly  to  Christian- 
borg  on  the  island  of  Slotsholmen.  This  palace  was 
built  by  Christian  VI.  in  1733-1740,  and  having 
been  several  times  destroyed  by  fire,  is  practically  a 
ruin,  only  slightly  rebuilt.  In  the  grounds  are 
statues  of  Wisdom,  Health,  Justice  and  Strength, 
by  Thorvaldsen.  The  island  of  Slotsholmen,  which 
was  fortified  by  Bishop  Axel  in  1168,  forms  a  small 
quarter  of  its  own.  In  addition  to  the  Palace  the 
chief  buildings  are  the  Royal  Library,  the  Arsenal, 
the  Exchange  and  the  Thorvaldsen  Museum. 

The  Thorvaldsen  Museum  is  one  of  the  most  pe- 
culiar buildings  in  Copenhagen,  and  contains  a  com- 
plete collection  of  this  sculptor's  works.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  quay,  and  was  originally  one  of  the 
Royal  stables,  which  was  converted  into  a  sombre 
edifice,  built  in  the  style  of  an  Etruscan  tomb,  and 
serving  the  double  purpose  of  museum  and  tomb; 
for  in  an  inner  court,  enclosed  with  high  walls, 
richly  decorated  in  antique  style,  with  palms,  deli- 
cate foliage,  wreaths,  vases  and  tripods,  is  the  grave 
of  Thorvaldsen  open  to  the  sunshine,  stars  of 
heaven  and  the  rain  and  snow  from  the  passing 
clouds. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Thorvaldsen  was  almost  as  great  an  idol  with  the 
Danes  as  Hans  Christian  Andersen.  He  was  the 
son  of  an  Icelander,  a  ship's  carpenter  and  carver  of 
figure-heads  for  ships,  who  settled  in  Copenhagen. 
The  little  boy,  who  had  learned  carving  from  his 
father,  entered  the  Academy  of  Art;  and,  in  1793, 
he  won  the  grand  prize  which  enabled  him  to  go 
to  Rome.  There  he  lived  for  twenty-two  years.  He 
returned  to  Copenhagen  for  a  visit  in  1819,  and 
went  back  to  Rome,  where  he  lived  for  nineteen  more 
years.  In  1838,  he  went  back  to  Copenhagen  where 
he  died  in  1844. 

Thorvaldsen  was  the  most  celebrated  sculptor  of 
his  day  and  produced  more  than  five  hundred  works, 
all  in  the  style  of  ancient  Greek  art.  His  fellow- 
countrymen  have  honored  his  memory  by  this  mu- 
seum, which  exhibits  both  his  talent  and  his  in- 
dustry. 

There  are  still  several  museums  to  visit.  The 
National  Museum,  housed  in  the  old  Prince's  Pal- 
ace, a  royal  residence  built  in  1744,  was  founded 
in  1807,  and  now  contains  more  than  70,000  objects. 
The  Danish  collection  consists  of  two  divisions :  the 
Prehistoric  from  the  Stone  Age  (about  3000  B.C.  to 
about  1000  A.D.),  and  the  Historic  Collection  (from 
the  Middle  Ages  to  about  1660). 

The  first  is  probably  the  most  complete  collection 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Here  you  may  see  the 
rude  tools  and  weapons  of  bone  and  flint  found  in 
mounds  on  the  Danish  coast  that  are  known  as 
"  Kitchen-middens,"  and  there  is  also  a  fragment  of 

216 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 
•*• 

one  of  these  mounds.  Then  there  are  objects  of  the 
later  Stone  Age, — daggers  and  spear-heads  and  am- 
ber beads  and  other  ornaments.  The  Bronze  Age  is 
also  fully  represented.  There  a'fie/  hundreds  of 
swords  and  female  ornaments,  miniature  boats  made 
of  thin  gold,  a  bronze-mounted  chariot,  splendid 
shields  and  men's  and  -women's  clothing  found  in 
ancient  oak  coffins  in  Jutland.  Particularly  inter- 
esting are  the  relics  of  the  Viking  period,  consist- 
ing of  gold  and  silver  drinking-horns,  bracelets  and 
other  ornaments,  ring-money  and  horse-trappings. 
In  the  modern  rooms,  we  find  furniture  and  tapes- 
try from  Kronborg  Castle;  and  a  superb  carved  bed 
of  state,  dating  from  the  time  of  Christian  IV.  An- 
other department  in  this  museum  is  the  Ethnograph- 
ical Collection,  also  one  of  the  most  complete  in 
Europe.  Greenland  and  India  are  extremely  well 
represented.  There  is  also  a  royal  collection  of  coins 
and  medals,  containing  more  than  thirty  thousand 
articles. 

The  Art  Museum,  situated  beyond  the  Botanical 
Gardens  and  built  in  1891-95,  contains  the  national 
collection  of  pictures,  sculptures  and  engraving.  The 
gallery  of  old  pictures,  due  largely  to  Frederick  V., 
has  some  splendid  works.  The  Dutch  and  Flemish 
painters  are  the  best  represented,  particularly  Kem- 
brandt  and  his  pupils — Gerard  Dow,  Flinck,  Bol, 
Victoors,  Koninck,  Fabritius  and  Aert  van  Gelder. 

The  collection  of  Modern  Paintings  is  devoted  to 
Danish  Art  from  the  end  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 
to  the  present  day.  The  Sculpture  Gallery  exhibits 

217. 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  Danish  sculptors  from  the  time  of  Thorvaldsen 
to  the  present. 

The  Danish  Folkemuseum  also  is  a  highly  inter- 
esting collection  that  illustrates  the  development  of 
civilization.  One  section  represents  peasant  life; 
and  separate  rooms  are  fitted  up  in  correct  local 
style.  Several  old  wooden  houses  have  been  re- 
moved here.  There  is  also  a  collection  of  old  Danish 
silver,  and  another  of  ancient  female  ornaments 
from  Scania. 

The  Industrial  Art  Museum  in  the  Vestre  Boule- 
vard exhibits  the  arts  and  crafts  of  Denmark.  The 
collection  of  china  is  of  particular  interest  The 
Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain  Manufactory,  started 
in  1775,  naturally  produced  both  useful  and  orna- 
mented china  in  the  Rococo  style,  which  was  going 
out  of  fashion,  and  the  Louis  XVI.,  which  was  com- 
ing into  vogue.  The  so-called  Muschel  ware,  the 
blue  pattern  of  which  is  an  adaptation  of  a  Japanese 
flower  design,  is  the  most  famous.  Among  the  other 
specimens  of  artistic  work  are  carvings,  furniture 
and  book  bindings. 

The  Knippelsbro  takes  us  across  the  harbor  from 
Slotsholmen  to  Christianshavn,  built  by  Christian 
IV.,  which  still  preserves  its  ancient  character,  and 
may  be  said  to  form  a  link  between  Copenhagen  and 
the  country.  It  still  can  show  many  fine  old  build- 
ings, the  homes  of  merchant  princes.  The  Church 
of  Our  Saviour  (Vor  Frelsers  KirJce)  erected  in 
1749,  deserves  a  visit.  A  winding  staircase  (397 
steps)  ascends  to  the  top  of  the  curious  twisted  spire 

218 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

on  which  is  a  statue  of  the  Kedeemer  (popularly 
called  "Manden"). 

In  our  walks  around  Copenhagen,  you  have  doubt- 
less noticed  the  peculiar  architecture  of  which 
pointed  gables  and  twisted  spires  (the  spire  of  the 
Exchange  is  composed  of  four  dragons  whose  tails 
are  interwoven)  are  the  most  striking  features. 
These  fantastic  buildings  which  look  like  the  homes 
of  the  kings  and  queens,  giants  and  ogres  of  fairy- 
tales, were,  for  the  most  part,  built  during  the  reign 
of  Denmark's  most  popular  king,  and  it  is  very  sin- 
gular to  note  that  while  fires  and  sieges  destroyed 
much  that  was  built  after  these,  they  spared  his  sum- 
mer palace,  Rosenborg,  his  Arsenal,  his  Round 
Tower,  the  college  he  built  for  poor  students,  and 
the  Nyboder  cottages  he  built  for  sailors. 

"  Two  distinct  building  periods  have  given  Copen- 
hagen its  architectural  character.  The  first  was 
during  the  reign  of  the  royal  builder  Christian  IV., 
in  the  first  half  of  the  Seventeenth  Century.  The 
second  was  during  the  last  half  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  an  intermediate  stage  between  the  Rococo 
and  the  Empire  style.  The  nobility  and  the  great 
merchants  were  then  the  ruling  powers,  and  in  Hars- 
dorff  Copenhagen  possessed  an  architect  whose  gen- 
ius and  whose  fine  appreciation  of  antique  art  were 
perhaps  unequalled  in  Europe.  To  get  an  adequate 
impression  of  Christian  IV.'s.  architecture — an  in- 
dependent treatment  of  the  German  and  Dutch  Re- 
naissance style — one  should  first  examine  the  grace- 
ful Rosenborg  Chateau  with  its  slender  towers,  so 

219 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

picturesquely  placed  amidst  delightful  gardens;  and 
then  go  on  to  Hojbro-Plads,  where  the  peasant- 
women  from  Amak,  in  their  hereditary  Dutch  cos- 
fume,  sit  selling  fruit,  vegetables  and  flowers,  whilst 
Holmen's  Church  in  the  background  and  the  fine 
Exchange  with  its  fantastic  dragon-spire,  eloquently 
witness  to  their  royal  builder's  artistic  taste  and  gift 
of  attracting  the  right  men  to  his  service."  * 

One  of  the  striking  features  in  Copenhagen  is  the 
number  of  cafes  on  the  streets,  with  their  bright 
awnings  for  shade  and  their  screens  of  ivy.  People 
live  out-of-doors  during  the  brief  and  delightful 
summer  season,  and  in  every  garden  of  every  house 
you  see  a  miniature  summer  house  and  a  rustic  table 
and  chairs.  The  afternoon  bite  is  generally  taken 
out-of-doors.  Hours  are  rather  early,  and  the  living 
simple.  Tea  or  coffee  and  bread  is  the  breakfast, 
and  luncheon  at  noon  the  first  real  meal.  The  din- 
ner hour  is  from  three  to  four,  except  in  houses  of 
fashion,  where  it  begins  at  six  or  half -past  six.  The 
King  dines  at  seven;  and  the  curtain  of  the  Royal 
Theatre  rises  at  half-past  seven.  Copenhagen  is  a 
city  of  flat  dwellers;  nearly  every  house  in  town, 
and  what  is  stranger  still,  every  villa  in  the  suburbs 
is  occupied  by  several  families,  and,  moreover,  the 
people  move  frequently.  There  is  also  a  regular 
moving  day,  similar  to  New  York's  first  of  May. 

Christmas  is  a  great  festival.  On  Christmas  Eve 
presents  are  exchanged  and  everybody  has  a  tree. 
Easter  is  also  kept;  and  between  Easter  and  Whit- 

*  Erik  SchiSdte. 
220 


The  City  of  Copenhagen 

suntide,  the  fourth  Friday  after  Easter  is  called  the 
Great  Day  of  Prayer  (Store  Bededag).  On  the 
evening  before  the  great  feature  of  luncheon  and 
supper  is  Smbrrebrod,  which  some  people  wrongly 
call  a  sandwich.  It  might  be  described  as  a  sand- 
wich without  the  top  slice  of  bread.  The  slice  of 
bread  is  buttered  and  on  it  is  laid  a  piece  of  meat, 
lobster,  salted  herring,  salmon,  cheese,  or  hard- 
boiled  eggs.  Another  national  dish  is  ollebrod,  com- 
posed of  black  bread  and  beer,  cream  and  salt  her- 
rings and  slices  of  raw  onions. 

On  this  day  the  Church  bells  ring,  and  everybody 
promenades  on  the  Langelinie,  dressed  in  his  or  her 
new  spring  clothes,  as  they  used  to  walk  on  the  ram- 
parts in  olden  times.  On  this  evening,  the  Danes 
also  eat  a  special  bread  called  Varme  Hveder.  Whit 
Monday  is  the  greatest  holiday  in  the  year;  and 
Copenhagen  Hill  in  Frederiks  Park  is  thronged 
with  towns-people  to  see  the  sun  rise  and  "  see  it 
dance."  With  the  exception  of  the  peasants  that 
congregate  in  the  fish  and  flower  markets,  there  is 
little  to  be  seen  in  Copenhagen  in  the  way  of  national 
costume. 


221 


THE    CITY   OF    STOCKHOLM 
THE  VENICE  OF  THE  NORTH 

STOCKHOLM  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
cities  in  Europe.  It  is  situated  at  the  eastern 
outlet  of  Lake  Malar,  partly  on  the  mainland  and 
partly  on  nine  holms,  or  islands,  in  a  small  arm  of 
the  Baltic  called  the  Saltjo.  Its  beauty  and  its  wa- 
terways have  given  it  the  name  of  the  "  Venice  of 
the  North,"  a  sobriquet  that  it  shares  with  Amster- 
dam. 

Stockholm  is  a  comparatively  young  city,  for  Eu- 
rope. The  beautiful  site  was  so  exposed  to  pirates 
that  it  was  long  neglected;  and  three  inland  cities 
were  capitals  of  great  importance  before  Stockholm 
came  into  existence.  These  were  Bjorko  (Isle  of 
Birches)  on  Lake  Malar,  destroyed  before  the  Elev- 
enth Century;  Sigtuna,  on  an  arm  of  Lake  Malar, 
destroyed  in  the  Twelfth  Century ;  and  Upsala. 

Stockholm  was  founded  in  1250  by  Birgir  Jarl, 
the  brother-in-law  of  King  Eric  the  Halt.  Birgir 
built  a  strong  fortress  on  the  hill  where  the  modern 
Palace  stands.  This  was  surrounded  by  walls  and 
fortified  towers.  A  Franciscan  monastery  was  built 
on  the  island  of  Ridderholm  in  the  Thirteenth  Cen- 
tury; and,  in  the  Fourteenth  Century,  the  Hospital 

222 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  erected  on  the  island  of 
Helgeandsholm  (Holy  Ghost  Island). 

Birgir  made  Stockholm  the  strongest  fortress  in 
the  country.  It  \vas  soon  able  to  put  an  end  to  the 
depredations  of  the  Finnish  pirates  who  had  so  long 
desolated  the  Swedish  coasts.  The  city  rapidly  grew 
in  size,  and  soon  became  commercially  important. 
The  capture  of  Stockholm  in  the  troubled  times  of 
warring  ambitions  was  nearly  always  the  blow  that 
decided  the  fate  of  the  whole  kingdom. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  the  city  had  close  commer- 
cial relations  with  the  Hanseatic  towns  and  was 
dominated  by  their  German  merchants  until  the 
political  changes  wrought  by  Gustavus  Vasa,  since 
whose  day  the  history  of  Stockholm  is  only  the  his- 
tory of  Sweden. 

Stockholm  has  suffered  terribly  at  times  from  fire 
which  spread  rapidly  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
town  was  built  of  wood.  The  notable  fires  took 
place  in  1297,  1407,  1419,  1445,  1458,  1495,  1625, 
1697,  1719,  1723,  1751,  1759,  1802,  1822,  and 
1857.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  few  an- 
cient buildings  remain. 

The  city  has  also  been  a  prey  to  siege,  famine 
and  pestilence;  and  has  been  the  scene  of  many 
tragedies.  When  Margaret  of  Denmark  was  invited 
by  the  nobles  to  accept  the  crown  of  Sweden  and 
King  Albert  was  captured  at  the  Battle  of  Falkoping, 
Stockholm  refused  to  submit,  and  the  supporters  of 
Albert  massacred  the  followers  of  Margaret  in  the 
city.  Stockholm  then  suffered  a  long  siege,  and  held 

223 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

out  till  1395.  The  year  1397  saw  Margaret's  tri- 
umphal entry  into  Stockholm. 

Since  the  crown  was  not  hereditary  but  elective, 
Sweden  suffered  almost  constantly  during  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  through  the  wars  of  rival  princes.  It  was 
at  the  close  of  this  period  that  the  famous  "  Blood 
Bath  "  occurred  at  Stockholm. 

In  fighting  the  invading  Danes,  Sten  Sture  was 
mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Bogesund  (1520)  ; 
and  was  borne  on  a  sledge  over  the  frozen  lakes  to 
Stockholm,  where  he  died  in  a  few  days.  His 
widow,  Christina  Gyllenstierna,  then  excited  the 
men  of  Stockholm  to  resist,  and  attacked  the  Danish 
forces.  They  kept  the  field,  however,  and  Christian 
II.  of  Denmark  and  JsTorway  brought  a  big  fleet  to 
the  capital.  For  four  months  the  brave  woman  held 
the  city;  but  she  was  compelled  by  famine  and  the 
desertion  of  some  of  her  followers  to  surrender  to  a 
cruel  and  treacherous  invader. 

Christian  II.  was  now  crowned  at  Stockholm. 
The  solemnities  were  followed  by  festivals  and  tour- 
naments that  lasted  three  days ;  and  before  they  were 
over,  when  Christian  was  seated  on  his  throne  in  the 
Knights'  Hall,  the  Archbishop  Gustavas  Trolle,  who 
had  been  Sten  Sture's  enemy,  entered  at  a  late  hour 
and  demanded  justice  against  the  followers  of  Sten 
Sture,  who  had  deposed  him.  Under  pretence  of 
upholding  the  honor  of  the  church,  Christian  or- 
dered the  execution  of  ninety-four  persons,  most  of 
whom  were  nobles,  by  which  act  he  thought  he  would 
secure  the  devotion  of  the  peasantry.  "  Stockholm's 

224 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

Blood  Bath  "  was  the  name  given  to  this  wholesale 
execution.  "  On  the  8th  of  November  (1520)  at 
dawn,  all  the  gates  of  the  city  were  closed;  loaded 
cannon  were  planted  in  the  great  market-place,  and 
guards  stationed  at  every  point  of  the  intersecting 
streets.  The  deathlike  silence  was  broken  by  the 
sound  of  the  castle  bell  when  the  long  procession  of 
victims  marched  forth  to  the  place  of  martyrdom. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Skara,  one  of  the  prisoners, 
loudly  invoked  the  vengeance  of  Heaven  upon  the 
false  and  perfidious  tyrant,  who  thus  sacrificed  the 
lives  of  innocent  men  at  the  caprice  of  suborned  and 
perjured  judges.  The  burgomasters  of  Stockholm 
exhorted  their  fellow  citizens  to  shake  off  his  de- 
tested yoke  and  never  more  to  trust  his  oaths  and 
promises.  The  prelate  of  Strengnaes,  who  had 
earliest  espoused  the  cause  of  Christian,  was  first 
led  forth  to  execution.  As  he  fell  on  his  knees  and 
was  about  to  receive  the  fatal  blow,  his  chancellor, 
Olaus  Petri,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Lauren- 
tius,  rushed  from  the  crowd  to  embrace  his  dying 
master,  when  the  bloody  head  rolled  at  his  feet. 
Olaus  exclaimed  against  the  cruel  deed,  but  he  was 
instantly  seized,  dragged  within  the  circle  and  would 
infallibly  have  paid  with  his  life  for  his  temerity, 
had  not  a  spectator  who  knew  the  two  brothers  in 
Wittemberg  interposed,  declaring  that  they  were  not 
natives,  but  Germans.  By  this  accidental  discovery 
were  preserved  the  first  apostles  of  the  Reformation 
in  Sweden. 

"  The  slaughter  of  the  other  bishops  and  senators 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

followed;  and  among  the  latter  -was  Erik,  the  father 
of  Gustavus  Vasa.  The  burgomasters  next  suffered, 
the  execrations  of  their  comrades  being  drowned  by 
the  noise  of  the  Danish  soldiery.  The  bodies  of  the 
dead  lay  for  two  days  and  nights  unburied  in  the 
market-place,  after  which  they  were  removed  and 
burned  without  the  city  walls.  The  remains  of 
Sture  were  disinterred  and  committed  to  the  flames. 
At  the  intercession  of  some  ladies  of  the  court,  his 
widow's  life  was  spared  on  the  payment  of  a  heavy 
ransom ;  and  she  was  conducted  to  Denmark  with  the 
mother  of  Gustavus  Vasa  and  several  other  illus- 
trious women,  who  were  exposed  to  every  hardship 
and  indignity  which  malice  or  tyranny  could  inflict. 
The  King  took  his  departure  from  Stockholm  after 
having  constituted  a  regency  and  placed  a  strong  gar- 
rison of  Danish,  German  and  Scottish  troops  in  the 
capital."  * 

Gustavus  Vasa  heard  the  news  of  the  terrible 
"  Blood  Bath"  at  Rafsnas,  on  the  Gripsholm  fjord, 
not  far  from  Gripsholm  Castle,  and  resolved  to  de- 
liver his  country  from  the  Danish  yoke  and  avenge 
his  father's  death.  He  headed  a  revolt,  repeatedly 
defeated  the  Danes,  and  took  Stockholm  in  1523. 
At  a  Diet  held  in  Strengnas  in  that  year,  Gustavus 
was  elected  King  of  Sweden.  His  next  task  was  to 
reform  and  reorganize  the  country,  exhausted  by 
war,  and  altogether  in  a  very  backward  and  unhappy 
condition.  In  1527,  he  abolished  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic religion;  and,  in  1529,  made  the  Lutheran  the 

*  Crichton. 
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The  City  of  Stockholm 

established  religion.  In  1544,  the  Swedish  diet 
made  the  throne  hereditary  in  his  family. 

The  descendants  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  especially 
Gustavus  Adolphus  and  Charles  XII.,  made  the 
name  of  Sweden  renowned  throughout  Europe. 
Stockholm  gradually  eclipsed  Upsala  as  the  capital, 
and  many  important  events  happened  within  the 
walls.  It  was  at  Stockholm  that  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
the  greatest  soldier  of  the  age  and  the  champion  of 
Protestantism,  assembled  the  States  in  May,  1630, 
and  took  his  little  four-year-old  daughter,  Christina, 
and  showed  her  to  his  people  as  their  future  sover- 
eign. His  farewell  was  spoken  in  broken  accents 
and  heard  with  many  tears.  His  death  on  the  field 
of  Lu'tzen,  two  and  a  half  years  later,  plunged  Stock- 
holm into  deep  gloom,  as  the  event  was  erroneously 
regarded  as  the  ruin  of  the  Protestant  cause.  How- 
ever, the  Chancellor  Oxenstiern  ably  filled  the  gap ; 
and  when  Christina  came  to  the  throne,  she  soon 
abdicated  in  favor  of  her  cousin,  Charles  X.,  who 
increased  the  dominions  and  military  glory  of 
Sweden. 

Gustavus  III.  (1746-1792),  was  born  in  Stock- 
holm and  met  a  cruel  death  there.  He  was  an  able 
and  cultured  ruler,  but  out  of  sympathy  with  his 
subjects,  who  refused  to  vote  money  to  aid  the 
French  king  on  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution.  The 
nobles,  whose  powers  he  had  curbed,  conspired 
against  him;  and,  although  warned  not  to  attend  a 
masked  ball  at  the  Opera  House  he  had  built,  he 
went  there  and  was  shot  by  an  ex-officer  of  the  guard, 

227 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

named  Ankerstrom.  He  lingered  for  thirteen  days 
in  dreadful  agony. 

His  son,  Gustavus  IV.,  involved  the  country  in 
wars;  and  under  him  Sweden  lost  Finland  and 
Pomerania.  His  English  allies  and  his  own  people 
finally  tired  of  his  wrong-headed  policy ;  and  he  was 
forced  to  abdicate.  His  uncle,  Duke  Charles,  was 
elected  to  the  crown  in  1809.  A  year  later  the 
Swedes  astonished  Europe  by  asking  Napoleon's 
Marshal  Bernadotte  to  become  heir  to  the  throne, 
and  as  the  health  of  Charles  XIII.  failed  in  the  next 
year,  he  became  practically  the  ruler.  In  1818,  he 
ascended  the  throne  as  Charles  XIV.  He  is  usually 
called  "  Charles  XlV.-John."  Sweden  prospered 
under  Bernadotte,  who  earned  for  himself  the  char- 
acter of  a  good  and  wise  king.  He  died  in  1844, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Oscar  I. 

Old  Stockholm  was  built  on  three  islands,  the 
Stockholm  (City  Island) ;  Eiddarholm  (Knight's 
Island)  ;  and  Helgeandsholm  (Holy  Ghost  Island)  ; 
and  nearly  all  the  historical  buildings  are  to  be 
found  here,  as  well  as  the  new  Parliament  buildings 
and  the  Bank.  The  situation  is  a  very  beautiful  one. 

An  English  traveller  writes : 

"  It  was  very  early  when  I  first  looked  out  on  the 
still  slumbering  city,  and  it  seemed  strange  to  note 
the  hush  and  silence  of  the  night  still  settled  on  the 
streets,  though  the  sun  had  already  climbed  quite 
high  and  the  water  and  the  white  pavements  were 
bright  with  the  glitter  of  a  blue  and  gold  day.  My 
window  faced  towards  the  south,  and  the  morning 

228 


Copyright,  1910,  by  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

OLD  AND  NEW  STOCKHOLM  FROM  KATARINA 
HISSEN 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

sun  threw  a  golden  bridge  over  the  sparkling  waters 
of  the  Saltsjo  up  to  the  white  shining  wharves  of 
the  Staden  Island.  On  the  left  the  view  ranged  to 
the  southern  portion  of  the  town,  the  Sodermalm, 
which  rises  in  terraces  to  a  height  of  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  water.  West- 
wards lay  the  palace,  a  huge  sombre  pile  standing 
sentinel  over  the  sleeping  city,  its  frowning  dark- 
ness relieved  by  a  few  points  of  light  caught  by  its 
windows  from  the  morning  sun.  Above  and  beyond 
rose  the  graceful  iron  spire  of  the  Riddarholm 
church  cutting  black  and  clear  into  the  pale  blue  sky, 
and  to  the  right,  in  the  middle  distance,  appeared 
the  narrow  outlet  of  the  Malar,  its  waters  rushing 
and  swirling  from  the  higher  level  of  the  lake  below 
the  heavy  masonry  of  the  Norrbro,  a  granite  bridge 
which  springs  its  grey  arch  from  the  northern  point 
of  the  Staden  Island,  linking  the  old  quarter  with 
the  new.  It  had  certainly  a  very  beautiful  aspect, 
this  old  northern  town  in  the  still  hours  of  the  early 
summer  morning." 

We  will  begin  our  explorations  with  the  islands  of 
Staden  and  Riddarholmen. 

Staden  is  the  very  kernel  of  Stockholm — the 
Town.  Upon  it  stands  the  Koyal  Palace ;  the  Church 
of  St.  Nicholas,  or  Storkyrka,  where  the  kings  of 
Sweden  are  always  crowned;  and  close  by  the 
Storkyrka,  the  Exchange,  upon  the  famous  old 
square  or  market-place  called  the  Stor-Torg,  the 
scene  of  the  terrible  "  Blood  Bath  "  of  1520. 

A  broad  granite  quay  beginning  at  the  monument 
229 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

to  Gustavus  III.  extends  around  the  east  side  of  the 
island,  and  here  are  docked  and  anchored  most  of 
the  steamers  and  steam-launches  that  sail  for  distant 
ports,  or  that  flit  back  and  forth  from  island  to 
island.  On  the  other  side  of  Staden,  just  beyond  the 
equestrian  statue  of  Charles  XIV.,  at  the  point 
where  the  Soderstrom  enters  the  Baltic  from  Lake 
Malar,  begin  the  markets — Kornhamns  Torg  (Corn- 
harbor  market)  ;  Malar  Market,  and  the  Meat  Mar- 
ket. jSTorth  of  the  Meat  Market,  we  find  Munkbro 
(Monk's  Bridge). 

All  this  side  of  Staden  is  therefore  devoted  to 
market  traffic;  and,  of  course,  is  the  place  to  see  the 
arrival  of  market-boats  and  peasants  in  costume. 

Here,  too,  gather  the  servants,  who  generally  do 
the  buying  for  the  household.  The  fish-market  is  a 
floating-wharf  in  front  of  the  statue  of  Charles 
XIV. ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  fish  are 
brought  alive  in  the  boats  and  kept  in  tanks  until 
they  find  a  purchaser.  Nobody  in  Sweden  would 
think  of  buying  a  dead  fish. 

On  the  south,  Staden  is  connected  with  the  suburb 
of  Sodermalm  by  the  Slussen,  or  sluice  bridge. 

The  most  important  building  on  Staden  is,  of 
course,  the  Royal  Palace.  This  noble  pile,  which  is 
built  on  the  highest  part  of  the  island,  was  com- 
pleted by  Nicodemus  Tessin,  son  of  Count  Tessin, 
the  original  architect,  in  1760 ;  and  it  was  renovated 
completely  in  1898-1901.  The  basement  is  granite, 
and  the  rest  brick  faced  with  sandstone.  It  is  a  huge 
four  square  building  with  wings  at  each  corner,  the 

230 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

•wings  two  stories  lower  than  the  central  structure. 
The  inner  courtyard  is  entered  by  four  gateways,  one 
in  the  centre  of  each  fagade.  The  northwest  portal 
facing  the  Norrbro  bridge  dates  from  1824—1834 
and  is  called  Lejoribacken,  or  the  hill  of  lions.  It  is 
of  solid  granite  and  ornamented  with  two  colossal 
lions  of  bronze.  In  front  of  this  portal  is  a  large 
platform  from  which  one  of  the  best  views  of  Stock- 
holm is  to  be  enjoyed,  looking  across  Norrbro  bridge 
and  the  northern  suburb,  and  over  Malar  lake  on  the 
left.  On  the  opposite  side — the  southeast — the  Pal- 
ace with  its  colonnade  looks  towards  SlottsbacTcen,  or 
Palace  Hill,  which  slopes  down  to  the  quay  called 
Skeppsbro,  a  broad  esplanade  where  the  Royal  troops 
parade  every  day  at  noon,  and  which  is  also  a  Royal 
driveway.  At  one  end  of  this  esplanade  stands  a 
granite  Obelisk,  a  hundred  feet  high,  erected  by 
Gustavus  IV.  to  commemorate  the  zeal  and  fidelity 
of  the  citizens  of  Stockholm  during  the  war  with 
Russia  in  1788-1790;  and,  at  the  other,  a  bronze 
statue  of  Gustavus  III.,  at  the  spot  on  which  he 
landed  in  triumph  after  the  hard  battle  of  Svensk- 
sund. 

On  the  north-east  side  is  a  small  garden  called 
Log'drden,  or  lynx-yard,  because  at  one  time  a  small 
menagerie  was  kept  here. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  inspect  the  entire 
Palace,  for  it  contains  no  less  than  516  rooms,  not 
counting  the  kitchens  and  cellars. 

In  the  gateway  and  leading  to  the  royal  apart- 
ments is  a  grand  staircase  of  great  splendor,  orna- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

merited  with  paintings,  pillars,  and  niches  contain- 
ing porphyry  urns,  bronze  figures  holding  lamps, 
medallions  of  ancient  kings,  etc.  The  State  Apart- 
ments consist  of  nine  splendid  rooms,  including  the 
Life  Guard  Saloon,  the  Council  Room,  the  Audience 
Room,  the  Red  Saloon,  the  Grand  Gallery  (162  feet 
long)  decorated  with  paintings,  marble,  stucco  and 
gilding,  its  massive  oaken  doors  with  carvings  two 
hundred  years  old,  and  lighted  with  32  chandeliers, 
the  Concert  Room;  and  the  ball  room  (118  feet 
long)  called  the  "  White  Sea,"  on  account  of  its 
white  stucco  walls.  It  is  ornamented  with  gildings, 
mirrors  and  ceiling-paintings  by  Italian  artists  of 
the  Eighteenth  Century,  and  illuminated  by  14 
chandeliers  and  10  candelabra. 

The  King's  Grand  Apartments  number  twelve,  in- 
cluding a  dining-room  hung  with  Gobelins  tapestry 
presented  by  Catherine  II.  of  Russia  to  Gustavus 
III. ;  the  Pillar  Hall,  where  the  conspirators  assem- 
bled to  dethrone  Gustavus  IV. ;  the  Victoria  Hall 
and  the  Porcelain  Chamber  with  their  fine  old  furni- 
ture, china  and  other  treasures ;  the  Apartments  of 
Oscar  I. ;  and  the  Queen's  Apartments  (Sophia  of 
Nassau)  containing  many  objects  of  interest  besides 
old  furniture.  One  of  these  rooms,  called  the  Hall 
of  Mirrors,  is  among  the  finest  in  the  Palace. 

A  staircase  in  the  gateway  towards  Slottsbacken 
leads  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  with  its  marble  columns, 
richly  sculptured  pulpit,  and  altar  and  ceiling  paint- 
ings. Near  this  is  situated  the  Rilcs-Sal,  Imperial 
Hall,  or  Throne-room,  in  which  the  ceremony  of 

232 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

opening  the  Riksdag,  or  Parliament,  takes  place  on 
Jan.  15. 

The  Royal  Museum  of  Armour  and  Costume,  in 
the  north-east  wing  of  the  Palace,  is  one  of  the  finest 
collections  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Here  are  Swed- 
ish flags  and  standards,  equestrian  and  other  suits 
of  armor,  helmets,  saddles,  sabres,  daggers  and 
weapons  of  all  kinds,  interesting  because  they  be- 
longed to  historical  personages,  or  because  they  are 
works  of  art,  or  enriched  with  precious  stones.  The 
sword  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  and  the  helmet  of  Ivan  the 
Terrible  of  Russia  are  also  among  the  famous  relics. 
There  are  also  suits  of  parade  armor  and  jousting 
armor,  and  a  child's  suit  of  armor  dating  from  the 
Seventeenth  Century. 

In  the  Costume  Chamber,  we  find  coronation 
robes  and  mantles,  robes  of  the  Seraphim  Order 
worn  by  Gustavus  III.,  the  masquerade  suit  which 
Gustavus  III.  had  on  when  he  was  shot  at  a  ball  in 
the  Royal  Theatre  in  1792,  five  coronation  coaches 
and  a  state  sleigh. 

Near  the  Palace  on  the  Slottsbacken  stands  the 
Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  commonly  called  the  Stor- 
TcyrTca,  the  tower  of  which  (184  feet  high)  groups 
beautifully  with  the  Palace,  as  it  breaks  the  long 
straight  line  of  buildings.  This  is  the  oldest  church 
in  Stockholm,  and  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by 
Birgir  Jarl  in  1264.  The  present  building  dates 
from  1726-1743.  In  it  the  Swedish  monarchs  are 
crowned.  The  interior  consists  of  a  nave  with  dou- 
ble aisles  and  a  wonderful  reredos  from  Augsburg 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

of  carved  ebony,  ornamented  with  gold,  silver,  and 
ivory,  representing  eighteen  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  pulpit  and  choir-stalls  are  elab- 
orately carved;  there  is  a  brass  candlestick  with 
seven  branches  of  Fourteenth  Century  work,  many 
ancient  and  modern  tombs,  and  two  enormous  pic- 
tures of  the  Last  Judgment  and  ihe^Crucifixion  by 
Von  Ehrenstrahl,  who  died  in  Stockholm  in  1699. 

On  a  wide  street  called  Svartman-Gatan,  leading 
from  the  Stor-Torg  to  the  Custom  House,  stands  the 
German  Church,  called  by  the  Swedes  Tyska  Kyrka, 
built  in  the  Seventeenth  Century  and  restored  in 
1878  after  a  fire.  It  was  formerly  called  the  Chapel 
of  St  Gertrude,  and  has  a  fine  tapering  spire,  222 
feet  high,  and  the  only  peal  of  bells  in  Stockholm. 
German  merchants  of  the  Seventeenth  Century  pre- 
sented the  pulpit  and  altar.  The  modern  stained- 
glass  windows  came  from  Munich. 

Many  steep  little  streets,  which  had  better  be 
called  lanes,  lead  from  the  Stor-Torg  to  Skeppsbro 
on  one  side  and  to  V '  esterldng-Gatan  and  8  tor  a  Ny- 
Gatan  on  the  other;  and  as  they  are  occupied  by 
poor  artisans  and  tradesmen,  they  contain  quaint  old 
dwellings ;  and  here  you  will  find  much  that  is  typi- 
cal of  Swedish  life. 

The  wide  street,  Stora  2sTy-Gatan  will  bring  us  to 
another  square  called  the  Riddarlius-Torg,  which 
has  been  the  scene  of  many  executions.  The  statue 
of  Gustavus  Vasa,  erected  in  1773  by  the  Swedish 
nobility  on  the  250th  anniversary  of  the  day  he 
entered  Stockholm  and  delivered  Sweden  from 

234 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

Denmark,  stands  in  front  of  the  Riddarhus,  a  Sev- 
enteenth Century  building  of  brick  and  sandstone, 
the  fagade  of  which  is  ornamented  with  allegorical 
figures  and  Latin  mottoes.  In  the  room  decorated 
with  the  coats-of-arms  of  all  the  Swedish  nobility,  the 
Chamber  of  Nobles  held  its  meetings  until  1866. 
This  room  has  been  the  scene  of  many  events.  Here 
the  first  Gustavus  received  the  homage  of  his  coun- 
trymen for  having  freed  his  country ;  here  Gustavus 
Adolphus  made  a  great  speech  to  his  assembled  sub- 
jects before  starting  on  his  famous  campaign  which 
ended  with  his  life  on  the  battlefield  of  Liitzen ;  here 
his  infant  daughter,  Christina,  was  declared  Queen 
of  Sweden,  when  the  news  came  of  his  death;  and 
here  Gustavus  III.  surrounded  the  rebellious  nobles 
with  troops  and  dictated  a  new  constitution. 

Near  the  Riddarhus  is  the  Rddhus,  or  Town  Hall, 
fronting  the  square  on  one  side  and  the  water  on  the 
other. 

A  bridge  crosses  here  from  the  Eiddarhus-Torg 
to  Riddarholm.  We  have  come  here,  of  course,  to 
see  the  Riddarholms-Kyrka,  originally  a  beautiful 
Franciscan  monastery  of  Gothic  architecture.  Ow- 
ing to  fires,  restorations  and  the  additions  of  burial 
chapels  on  the  sides,  its  original  style  has  been 
changed;  but  it  is  still  a  picturesque  building,  and 
the  iron-work  spire  (302  feet  high),  fortunately  light 
and  elegant  in  design  which  replaces  the  old  one 
destroyed  by  lightning  in  1835,  is  a  landmark  that 
the  stranger  in  Stockholm  soon  learns  to  recognize. 

Kiddarholms-Kyrka  has  been  the  burial-place  of 
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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Sweden's  kings  and  heroes  since  the  days  of  Gus- 
tavus Vasa — it  may  appropriately  be  called  Swe- 
den's Westminster  Abbey.  No  service  is  ever  per- 
formed here  except  for  royal  funerals. 

"  The  sacred  shrine  here  for  every  true  Protes- 
tant," says  a  traveller,  "  is  in  the  chapel  upon  the 
right  of  the  altar.  There  repose  the  mortal  remains 
of  the  chivalrous  and  heroic  champion  of  the  Prot- 
estant cause,  the  great  Gustavus  Adolphus.  His 
sarcophagus  of  green  Italian  marble,  surrounded 
•with  banners  and  trophies,  bears  the  appropriate  in- 
scription, Moriens  iriumpliavit,  for  he  died  as  he  had 
lived,  victorious  alike  over  his  own  passions  and  the 
enemies  of  his  faith  and  country.  In  the  Gustavian 
Chapel  are  also  buried  the  remains  of  his  queen, 
Maria  Eleonora;  of  Adolphus  Frederick  and  his 
queen  Louise  Ulrika;  Gustavus  III.  and  his  queen 
Sophia  Magdalena;  Charles  XIII.  and  his  queen 
Charlotte;  and  other  royal  personages.  In  the  op- 
posite, or  Carolin  Chapel,  is  the  tomb  of  the  fiery 
Charles  XII.  His  sarcophagus  of  white,  on  a  ped- 
estal of  green  marble,  is  covered  with  a  lion's  skin  in 
brass  gilt,  on  which  are  placed  a  crown,  sceptre  and 
sword  and  the  name  Charles  XII.  inscribed.  Round 
about  hang  trophies  of  his  various  battles,  including 
a  standard  taken  with  his  own  hand  in  Poland." 
Armorial  bearings  of  deceased  knights  of  the  Order 
of  the  Seraphim  are  also  on  the  walls,  and  numerous 
flags,  banners  and  other  trophies  are  displayed  above 
the  tombs. 

Norrbro  Bridge,  which  was  finished  in  1806,  is 
236 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

375  feet  long,  and  is  composed  of  seven  granite 
arches.  It  crosses  the  little  island  Helgeandsholm 
that  lies  between  Staden  and  the  mainland.  Half- 
way across  this  island,  two  flights  of  steps  lead  down 
from  the  bridge  on  the  east  side  to  the  Stromparterre, 
a  celebrated  cafe  the  garden  of  which  is  washed  by 
the  waters  of  the  Norrstrom. 

The  north  end  of  Norrbro  brings  us  into  Gustaf- 
Adolfs-Torg,  the  big  square  in  which  stands  an 
equestrian  statue  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  erected  in 
1796.  On  the  west  side  of  the  square  stands  the 
Crown  Prince's  Palace;  and,  on  the  east,  the  mag- 
nificent Opera  House  with  a  large  terrace  which 
commands  a  fine  view  of  the  city. 

East  of  the  Opera  House  is  the  Kungstr'ddg'drd, 
the  King's  Garden,  beautiful  with  trees  and  flowers. 
Here,  too,  is  a  bronze  fountain  with  figures  of  sea- 
nymphs  listening  to  the  harps  of  the  Nixies,  in  al- 
lusion to  Stockholm's  situation  between  lake  and  sea. 
The  church  that  rises  west  of  this  charming  prom- 
enade is  Jdkobs-Kyrka,  built  in  the  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury, and  worth  looking  at  on  account  of  its  finely 
carved  portal.  The  organ  in  this  church  is  consid- 
ered the  best  in  Sweden.  The  statue  of  Charles 
XIII.  in  the  middle  of  the  King's  Garden  repre- 
sents him  in  the  robes  of  the  Seraphim  Order:  the 
lions  at  the  foot  of  the  monument  are  much  admired. 
The  streets  on  the  east  side  of  the  King's  Garden 
lead  to  another  pleasure  ground  called  Berzelii  Park, 
where  cafes  and  restaurants,  flowers  and  shady 
trees  attract  the  public. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

North-east  of  this  park  lies  a  district  known  as 
Ostermalm,  which  is  comparatively  new.  It  is  de- 
voted almost  exclusively  to  residences  of  the  well-to- 
do  citizens.  A  broad  avenue,  called  Strandvagen, 
bounds  this  quarter  on  the  south.  Here  are  many 
handsome  four-story  houses.  Strandvagen  runs 
along  the  water's  edge,  two  bays  breaking  in  at  this 
point.  A  handsome  bridge,  built  in  1897,  and  orna- 
mented with  figures  from  Northern  mythology,  con- 
nects Strandvagen  with  the  island  of  Djurg'drden. 

On  the  west  side  of  Gustaf-Adolfs-Torg  we  find 
the  busiest  streets.  Drotting-Gatan  is  a  broad  ave- 
nue that  runs  through  the  whole  of  the  northern  dis- 
trict from  Strom-Gatan  that  faces  the  water  (the 
Norrstrom)  to  the  Observatory.  On  Drotting- 
Gatan  are  all  the  finest  shops;  and  from  this  fact 
alone  we  know  where  to  find  the  fashionable  ladies. 
A  walk  along  Drotting-Gatan  will  show  us  Stock- 
holm's wealthy  citizens  in  their  happiest  mood. 

Another  wide  street  leading  north  from  Gustaf- 
Adolfs-Torg  is  called  Regerings-Gatan ;  and  between 
it  and  Drotting-Gatan  is  a  square  called  Brurike- 
bergs-Torg,  north  of  which  is  the  tall  Telephone 
Tower,  that  we  are  always  catching  sight  of  where- 
ever  we  go. 

West  of  Drotting-Gatan,  and  not  far  from  the 
Railway  station,  stands  the  simple  but  massive  Klara- 
Kyrka.  St.  Clara's  is  noted  for  its  beautiful  in- 
terior and  its  lofty  steeple  (340  feet  high).  It  was 
formerly  a  convent  of  Franciscan  nuns,  built  in 
1285;  but  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  present 

238 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

church  dates  from  the  middle  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury. 

The  Adolf -Fredriks-Kyrka,  east  of  Drotting- 
Gatan,  was  built  about  the  same  time.  It  is  in  the 
form  of  a  Greek  cross  with  an  octagon  tower  in  the 
centre.  The  next  spire  that  we  see  east  of  this 
church  belongs  to  the  Joliannes-Kyrka,  a  modern 
building.  We  are  always  seeing  this  church,  not 
only  because  it  has  a  very  tall  tower,  but  because  it 
stands  on  a  rather  high  hill  called  Brurikeberg. 

While  we  are  in  this  neighborhood,  we  may  as 
well  visit  the  delightful  park  called  Humlegard 
(Hop-garden),  which,  laid  out  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century,  has  been  kept  up  for  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years. 

Among  the  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers  stands  a  mon- 
ument to  the  great  Swedish  botanist,  Linnaeus,  and 
another  to  Borjeson,  who  discovered  oxygen. 

In  Humlegard,  the  National  Library  was  erected 
in  1870-1876,  a  fine  building  that  contains  about 
380,000  books  and  11,000  Mss.  Beyond  this  park 
lies  a  residential  quarter  bounded  on  the  north  by 
a  street  called  Valhalla-Vdg.  East  of  Humlegard 
is  the  district  called  Ostermalm. 

The  southern  quarter  of  Stockholm,  known  as 
Sodermalm,  separated  from  the  island  of  Staden  by 
the  Soderstrom  which  links  Lake  Malar  with  the 
Baltic,  and  which  is  crossed  by  two  iron  bridges,  is 
very  picturesque,  because  the  land  on  which  it  is 
built  is  very  high  and  rocky,  in  consequence  of  which 
the  views  are  extended  and  beautiful.  A  long  wide 

239 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

quay  lies  east  of  the  bridges  along  the  Baltic;  and 
another  long  wide  quay  lies  west  of  the  bridges  on 
Lake  Malar;  and  on  each  of  these  quays  a  steam 
elevator  carries  passengers  through  the  rock  to  a 
belvedere  at  the  top  for  a  fine  view  of  Stockholm  and 
the  surrounding  country.  The  Mosebacken  Garden 
(on  the  Hill  of  Moses)  is  also  noted  for  its  un- 
rivalled view.  The  whole  of  Stockholm  is  seen  from 
the  terrace  with  all  its  islands,  towers,  bridges,  spires, 
trees,  gardens,  lakes  and  harbors  with  all  the  ship- 
ping. On  the  right  lies  the  Baltic,  enlivened  with 
ships  and  steam  launches  flitting  from  island  to  is- 
land ;  and  on  the  left  the  beautiful  Lake  Malar.  On 
this  hill  is  a  very  fine  theatre,  the  Sodra  Teater,  and 
there  are  numerous  restaurants  and  cafes  in  the  vi- 
cinity. The  two  important  churches  in  Sodermalm, 
Maria-Kyrka  and  Katarina-KyrJca,  are  buildings  of 
the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Centuries. 

A  broad  quay  called  Blasieholmshamnen  leads 
from  the  square  Carl  XII.'s  Torg  to  the  south  end  of 
Blasieholmen,  the  chief  attraction  of  which  is  the 
National  Museum. 

This  is  a  handsome  building  in  the  Renaissance 
style  with  an  entrance  of  greenish  marble,  over  which 
are  medallions  of  six  famous  Swedes:  Linnseus,  the 
botanist ;  Ehrenstrahl,  the  painter ;  Tegner,  the  poet ; 
Fogelberg,  the  sculptor;  Wallin,  the  hymn- writer; 
and  Berzelius,  the  chemist.  There  are  also  statues 
of  Tessin,  the  architect,  and  Sergei,  the  sculptor. 

In  the  rooms  devoted  to  Swedish  antiquities,  we 
find  curious  relics  of  the  Stone  Age,  the  Bronze  Age, 

240 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

the  Iron  Age,  and  embroideries,  ornaments  and  carv- 
ings of  the  Middle  Ages.  The  collection  of  porcelain 
is  also  of  great  interest,  and  several  rooms  are  de- 
voted to  furniture  of  the  Sixteenth,  Seventeenth  and 
Eighteenth  Centuries. 

The  gem  of  the  Sculpture  gallery  is  a  "  Sleeping 
Endymion "  found  in  Hadrian's  villa  at  Tivoli  in 
1773,  and  bought  by  Gustavus  III.  The  same  king 
did  much  to  enrich  the  picture  gallery,  in  which  his 
mother,  Queen  Louisa  Ulrica,  had  taken  so  great  an 
interest.  She  purchased  Count  Tessin's  splendid 
collection  of  French  masters  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury which  are  the  glories  of  the  Swedish  gallery. 
The  "  Triumph  of  Galatea,"  by  Boucher,  is  consid- 
ered by  many  critics  the  masterpiece  of  this  painter 
of  Graces,  Goddesses  and  Loves.  Next  in  importance 
to  the  French  pictures  are  those  by  the  Dutch  and 
Flemish  masters.  Of  course,  the  Swedish  painters 
from  the  Seventeenth  Century  to  the  present  day 
are  splendidly  represented. 

An  iron  bridge,  Skeppsholms-Bro,  connects  the 
south  end  of  Blasieholm  with  Slceppsholmen,  a  small 
island,  the  military  and  naval  headquarters  of  Stock- 
holm. The  most  conspicuous  buildings  are  the  Kan- 
onier-Kasern  and  the  Karl-JoTians-Kyrka.  A  wood- 
en bridge  leads  to  another  and  smaller  island,  Kas- 
telholmen  (Castle  Island),  famous  for  its  prome- 
nades and  view  from  the  tower  of  the  Citadel.  Here 
the  Royal  Skating  Club  is  situated. 

The  whole  island  of  Djurgdrden  that  lies  on  the 
east  of  Staden  is  a  pleasure  resort.  As  its  name  tells 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

us,  it  was  originally  a  deer-preserve,  and  was  turned 
into  a  park  bj  Gustavus  III.  and  Charles  XIV.  A 
stone  bridge  connects  it  with  the  mainland  at  the 
Strandvag;  but  steamboats  constantly  ferry  passen- 
gers here  from  various  places.  The  beautifully  un- 
dulating ground,  the  green  sward,  the  fine  old  oaks 
and  other  trees;  the  charming  walks  and  the  pretty 
villas  make  Djurgarden  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
parks  in  Europe.  Restaurants,  including  the  cele- 
brated Hasselbacken,  are  numerous,  as  well  as  places 
of  amusement  One  of  the  features  of  the  park  is 
a  colossal  statue  of  the  poet  Bellman  erected  by  the 
Swedish  Academy  in  1829.  On  the  26th  of  July 
every  year,  people  flock  here  to  recite  his  verses 
and  honor  his  memory ;  for  Bellman  is  even  more  of 
an  idol  in  Stockholm  than  Hans  Andersen  is  in  Co- 
penhagen. 

On  the  south  of  Djurgarden  a  little  peninsula  juts 
out  from  the  island,  which  is  a  special  park  called 
Frisens  Park,  a  very  popular  Sunday  resort;  and 
on  the  west  side  of  the  island  is  Djurgards-Staden, 
where  the  houses  are  built  of  timber,  and  which, 
therefore,  is  a  very  interesting  quarter  to  visit. 

On  the  north  of  the  island,  not  far  from  the  bridge, 
is  situated  the  Northern  Museum,  built  in  the  style 
of  a  Swedish  castle  of  the  Sixteenth  Century,  and 
devoted  to  Scandinavian  costumes  and  antiquities  of 
all  kinds. 

Further  along,  near  the  entrance  to  STcansen,  we 
find  what  at  first  sight  appears  to  be  an  old  wooden 
Norwegian  church  (Stavekirker).  It  is,  however, 

242 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

the  Biological  Museum  where  Scandinavian  birds 
and  animals  are  exhibited,  beautifully  arranged  and 
mounted. 

We  shall  have  to  spend  many  hours  in  the  de- 
lightful and  unique  open-air  museum,  called  Skan- 
sen,  which  was  founded  in  1891.  It  consists  of 
about  seventy  acres,  laid  out  in  such  a  manner  that 
we  see  all  of  Sweden  in  miniature  with  its  lakes, 
rocky  hills,  woods,  cultivated  fields  and  pasture 
lands.  Typical  old  dwelling-houses  and  churches 
have  been  transported  here,  or  reproduced,  and  are 
shown  by  peasants  in  their  native  costumes.  We  see 
thatched  houses,  old  manor-houses  and  peasants'  huts, 
each  of  which  is  correctly  furnished.  Of  particular 
interest  is  a  storehouse  of  a  manor-house  in  Oster- 
gotland,  one  of  the  oldest  wooden  buildings  in  Swe- 
den, and  the  old  Bollnasstuga,  a  building  of  the 
Sixteenth  Century  from  Helsingland,  which  con- 
tains articles  used  in  the  joyous  celebration  of  Yule 
in  olden  days. 

Nor  are  animals  and  birds  missing.  We  can  visit 
the  holes  and  cages  of  bears,  foxes,  lynxes,  gluttons, 
wolves,  otters  and  other  animals;  and  gaze  our  fill 
at  the  eagles,  hawks,  owls,  ptarmigan  and  other  na- 
tive birds;  but  what  will  probably  detain  us  longest 
are  the  Greenland  and  Jemtland  dogs,  and  the 
Keindeer  Enclosure,  and  the  Lapp  Camp.  These  re- 
mind us  that  we  are  not  very  far  from  the  Arctic 
Circle. 

There  are  many  towers  in  this  park  from  which 
lovely  views  are  to  be  enjoyed;  and  numerous  res- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

taurants  where  the  weary  sight-seer  may  have  re- 
freshment. Every  evening  there  are  dances  and 
sports  and  music  at  Skansen;  and  the  Swedish  fes- 
tivals are  always  celebrated  here  with  special  fea- 
tures. These  are:  Walpurgis  Eve  and  Walpurgis 
Day  (April  30  and  May  1)  ;  the  Anniversary  of 
Gustavus  Vasa's  accession  (June  6)  ;  St.  John's  Eve 
and  Midsummer  Day  (June  23  and  24) ;  St.  Lucy's 
Day  (Dec.  13)  ;  and  Yule  (Christmas,  Dec.  25). 

Beyond  Skansen  is  situated  the  Koyal  villa,  Rosen- 
dal,  built  by  Charles  XIV.,  with  its  lovely  park,  hot- 
houses and  orangeries.  The  interior  of  the  palace 
is  richly  furnished.  In  the  grounds  stands  a  famous 
red  "  Porphyry  Vase,"  nine  feet  high  and  twelve 
feet  in  diameter,  which  was  made  in  the  Royal  man- 
ufactory of  Elfdal  in  Dalecarlia. 

Haga  is  another  favorite  resort  north  of  Stock- 
holm on  a  pretty  lake,  called  the  Brunnsviken,  com- 
municating with  a  fjord  that  leads  to  Ulnksdal. 
The  castle  of  Haga  was  built  by  Gustavua  III.  in 
1786-88,  and  was  his  favorite  residence.  It  contains 
some  furniture  of  his  time  and  many  decorative 
paintings. 

Ulriksdal  was  built  at  the  end  of  the  Seventeenth 
Century  by  Jacob  de  la  Gardie,  and  afterward  be- 
came the  property  of  the  widow  of  Charles  X.,  who 
left  it  to  her  grandson,  Prince  Ulrik,  whose  name  it 
bears.  It  is  filled  with  furniture  and  various  curi- 
osities of  interest  to  the  traveller  as  well  as  to  those 
especially  interested  in  Swedish  history.  The  park 
is  noted  for  its  fine  avenue  of  lime-trees  and  its  pretty 

244 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

gardens ;  and  there  is  a  chapel  near  the  castle  erected 
in  1865,  in  the  Dutch  Renaissance  style. 

The  most  beautiful  of  the  royal  palaces,  however, 
is  Drottningliolm,  built  by  Count  Tessin  on  the  is- 
land of  Lofo  in  Lake  Malar. 

The  palace  is  sumptuously  furnished;  and  con- 
tains many  pictures,  tapestries  and  other  works  of 
art.  There  is  also  a  fine  library;  and  in  the  exten- 
sive park  we  find  a  theatre  and  a  maze.  The  old 
gardens,  laid  out  in  various  styles,  are  adorned  with 
sculpture  in  bronze  and  marble,  and  fountains  and 
lakes  on  which  swans  and  other  aquatic  birds  are 
numerous.  The  Chinese  Pagoda,  built  by  Adolphus 
Frederick  as  a  birthday  surprise  for  his  wife,  Louise 
Ulrika,  is  filled  with  Chinese  curiosities. 

The  winter  days  in  Stockholm  are  long  and  dark. 
In  December,  the  sun  does  not  rise  until  nine  o'clock 
and  he  gets  through  his  daily  journey  by  half -past 
two! 

Eighteen  hours  of  darkness,  however,  does  not 
prevent  the  enjoyment  of  out-of-door  sports.  No 
people  in  the  world  enjoy  winter  more  than  the 
Swedes;  and  well  they  may;  for  their  country  is 
fairy-land  when  King  "Winter  is  on  his  crystal 
throne. 

Stockholm  looks  very  beautiful  in  her  wintry  gar- 
ments, when  all  the  lakes  and  bays  and  inlets  and 
canals  are  glassy  mirrors;  and  the  pines,  firs  and 
spruce  trees  in  the  parks  and  suburbs  are  robed  in 
ermine,  and  all  the  roofs,  cornices,  spires  and 
gables  are  powdered  with  feathery  snow,  or  made 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

fantastic  with  glistening  icicles.  And  -what  beau- 
tiful colors  glow  in  the  sky !  What  marvellous  hues 
are  caught  and  reflected  on  the  glistening  surface  of 
the  snow ! 

The  American  traveller,  Bayard  Taylor,  was  great- 
ly impressed  with  the  enchanting  colors  of  a  Swedish 
winter  landscape.  He  writes: 

"  The  sun  rose  a  little  after  ten,  and  I  have  never 
seen  anything  finer  than  the  spectacle  which  we  then 
saw  for  the  first  time,  but  which  was  afterwards  al- 
most daily  repeated — the  illumination  of  the  forests 
and  snow-fields  in  his  level  orange  beams,  for  even 
at  midday  he  was  not  more  than  eight  degrees  above 
the  horizon.  The  tops  of  the  trees  only  were 
touched:  still  and  solid  as  iron,  and  covered  with 
sparkling  frost-crystals,  their  trunks  were  changed 
to  blazing  gold,  and  their  foliage  to  a  fiery  orange- 
brown.  The  delicate  purple  sprays  of  the  birch, 
coated  with  ice,  glittered  like  wands  of  topaz  and 
amethyst,  and  the  slopes  of  virgin  snow  stretching 
towards  the  sun,  shone  with  the  fairest  saffron 
gleams.  There  is  nothing  equal  to  this  in  the  South 
— nothing  so  transcendently  rich,  dazzling  and  glori- 
ous." 

How  the  people  delight  in  sleighing,  skating  and 
tobogganing!  How  merrily  the  bells  jingle  as  the 
sleighs  dash  along  the  streets  and  roads !  An  Eng- 
lish traveller  writes: 

"  All  the  traffic  is  on  sledges ;  the  flys  and  private 
carriages  go  on  runners,  with  only  the  curly  splash- 
board to  denote  the  wheel  of  summer.  Long  light 

246 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

sledges  are  also  used,  propelled  from  behind  with  the 
foot  in  a  succession  of  kicks,  and  can  be  driven  at 
a  great  pace.  But  the  most  curious  means  of  loco- 
motion is  the  Swedish  snow  shoe,  now  becoming  well- 
known  to  English  frequenters  of  Davoa  and  St. 
Moritz. 

"  These  skidor  are  strips  of  pine  wood,  six  or  eight 
feet  long,  by  about  four  inches  wide,  and  strapped 
quite  loosely  to  the  feet.  The  Lapps  and  up-coun- 
try peasants  use  them  perpetually  during  winter, 
and  can  go  on  the  flat  at  a  speed  of  six  or  eight  miles 
an  hour." 

People  skate  in  Stockholm  as  naturally  as  they 
walk;  and  the  Royal  Skating  Club  on  Kastelholmen 
is  not  by  any  means  the  only  resort.  Indeed,  every 
lake  and  canal  presents  an  animated  picture.  The 
traveller  just  quoted  also  tells  us: 

"  It  was  most  exhilarating  to  join  the  varied 
throng,  any  evening  after  seven  o'clock,  on  one  of 
these  spacious  swept  and  garnished  areas  by  the  side 
of  the  central  island.  They  were  here  in  their  thou- 
sands; men,  women  and  children.  And  bandstands 
in  the  middle  of  the  areas  gave  facility  for  the  music 
so  loved  by  the  Stockholmers ;  and  electric  lamps  were 
slung  round  and  about  the  enclosure.  The  moon  and 
the  keen  northern  stars  did  their  best  also  to  make 
the  scene  memorable,  while  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
rinks  were  booths  as  at  a  fair,  in  which,  as  in  more 
southern  resorts,  you  might  get  cups  of  coffee  for  a 
halfpenny,  or  shoot  at  blown  eggs  dancing  on  jets 
of  water." 

247 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

One  of  the  favorite  skating  resorts  is  the  strait 
between  Djurgarden  and  the  mainland.  Hundreds 
of  skaters  are  seen  here ;  and,  as  on  every  other  lake 
and  canal,  many  bear  skating-sails.  People  often 
skate  enormous  distances,  and  form  parties  for  a 
special  expedition. 

In  the  winter,  too,  comes  the  great  season  of  Yule, 
or  Christmas.  People  begin  to  prepare  early  for 
this  joyous  festival.  Everybody  has  Christmas  se- 
crets, for  gifts  are  universal.  A  few  days  before 
Christmas,  the  boats  come  into  Stockholm  laden 
with  trees ;  and  in  a  short  while  the  streets  are  filled 
with  the  spicy  fragrance-  of  the  forest.  Every  house 
in  Sweden,  from  the  King's  Palace  to  the  poorest 
hovel,  has  its  Christmas  tree;  consequently  the  sup- 
ply in  the  markets  and  shops  is  enormous,  and  on 
Christmas  Eve  every  other  person  that  you  see  is 
carrying  home  a  tree.  On  the  Sunday  before  Christ- 
mas Day,  an  old  custom  permits  the  shops  to  re- 
main open;  and  according  to  another  old  custom 
there  is  a  special  Christmas  market  in  the  Stor 
Torg  (see  page  229),  where  little  booths  are  erected 
for  the  occasion,  and  where,  in  addition  to  all  the 
fancy  articles,  foods  and  Christmas-tree  decorations, 
the  gingerbread  Yule  pig  (Julgrisen)  and  Yule 
goat  (Julbocken)  are  conspicuous. 

In  every  house,  from  that  of  the  wealthy  nobleman 
to  that  of  the  peasant,  the  same  Christmas  supper  is 
served :  a  specially  prepared  fish  for  the  first  course ; 
rice  with  cream  and  powdered  cinnamon  for  the  sec- 
ond; and  roast  goose  for  the  third. 

248 


The  City  of  Stockholm 

The  Christmas  festivities  are  not  over  until  Jan. 
13,  which  is  called  "  Twentieth  Day  Yule." 

A  greater  festival,  however,  is  Midsummer's  Day. 
Summer  in  Sweden  is  very  short.  Every  one,  re- 
joicing in  the  bright  sunshine,  tries  to  make  the  most 
of  it  while  it  lasts.  The  days  now  are  eighteen 
hours  long  and  there  is  really  no  darkness.  On  June 
23  the  town  is  deserted.  Steamboats,  trams,  trains, 
cabs  and  carriages  convey  thousands  into  the  coun- 
try and  parks  to  spend  the  day  on  the  grass  and 
under  the  trees.  Many  carry  their  lunch  baskets  and 
others  depend  on  the  restaurants,  but  all  are  alike 
in  one  matter, — they  wear  flowers  or  a  bit  of  green- 
ery. The  birch  bough  and  leaf  are  conspicuous 
everywhere.  Cabs,  carriages  and  boats  are  masses 
of  moving  boughs  and  garlands.  Horses  and  cab- 
men are  also  adorned;  and  everywhere  you  go,  you 
see  the  Maypole,  sometimes  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high, 
gay  with  ribbons,  flowers,  garlands  and  blue  and 
yellow  Swedish  flags.  The  people  dance  and  make 
merry  around  it,  just  as  they  used  to  do  in  England 
and  in  this  country  on  the  first  of  May,  before  the 
Puritans  forbade  it.  The  festivities  are  kept  up  all 
through  the  night,  which  is,  after  all,  nothing  but 
a  red  twilight;  and  the  Midsummer  bonfires  answer 
one  another  from  rock  to  rock  until  they  mingle  their 
lurid  gleams  with  the  glowing  banners  of  Odin's 
Valkyrie  daughters, — the  Dawn  Maidens. 


249 


THE    CITY   OF    CHRISTIANIA 


is  a  town  of  few  historical  asso- 
ciations,  monuments,  or  relics.  It  is  a  mod- 
ern capital,  and  a  town  of  much  commerce  and  manu- 
facture; and  consequently  its  streets  are  full  of  life 
and  bustle.  Its  characteristics  must  be  sought  for  in 
the  old  suburbs,  where  a  few  old  wooden  houses  still 
survive  in  the  narrow  winding  streets.  Although  it 
has  a  fine  University  and  many  museums  contain- 
ing collections  of  value,  its  chief  charm  is  in  its 
situation.  Christiania  lies  on  a  peninsula  between 
the  bays  of  Bjorviken  and  Piperviken  in  which  the 
great  Christiania  Fjord  ends.  On  the  southern  point 
of  this  promontory  stands  the  old  Castle,  or  fortress, 
of  Akershus;  and  to  the  north  extends  the  broad 
valley  of  Aker  (AkersdaT)  with  its  circle  of  forest- 
clad  hills.  The  Fjord  is  dotted  with  islands,  some 
of  which  are  uninhabited,  while  others  exhibit  pretty 
villas  nestling  among  the  trees. 

The  inhabitants  of  Christiania  appreciate  the 
beautiful  views  of  town,  fjord,  wooded  hills  and 
snow-tipped  mountains  that  surround  them;  and, 
therefore,  every  pleasure-garden  and  every  resort  has 
its  tower  from  which  the  panorama  may  be  observed. 
It  is  the  scenery  more  than  any  other  pleasure  that 
Christiania  has  to  offer  that  attracts  the  tourist. 

250 


The  City  of  Christiania 

Though  Christiania  has  grown  amazingly  of  late 
years  its  general  features  remain  the  same  as  when 
Bayard  Taylor  wrote: 

"  The  environs  of  Christiania  are  remarkably 
beautiful.  From  the  quiet  basin  of  the  fjord,  which 
vanishes  between  blue,  interlocking  islands  to  the 
southward,  the  land  rises  gradually  on  all  sides' 
speckled  with  smiling  country-seats  and  farm-houses, 
which  trench  less  and  less  on  the  dark  evergreen  for- 
ests as  they  recede  until  the  latter  keep  their  old 
dominion  and  sweep  in  unbroken  lines  to  the  sum- 
mits of  the  mountains  on  either  hand.  The  ancient 
citadel  of  Akershus,  perched  upon  a  rock,  commands 
the  approach  to  the  city,  fine  old  linden  trees  rising 
above  its  white  walls  and  tiled  roofs;  beyond  over 
the  trees  of  the  palace  park  in  which  stand  the  new 
Museum  and  University,  towers  the  long  palace  front 
behind  which  commences  a  range  of  villas  and  gar- 
dens stretching  westward  around  a  deep  bight  of  the 
fjord,  until  they  reach  the  new  palace  of  Oscar's  Hall 
on  a  peninsula  facing  the  city.  As  we  floated  over 
the  glassy  water  in  a  skiff  on  the  afternoon  following 
our  arrival,  watching  the  scattered  sun-gleams  move 
across  the  lovely  panorama,  we  found  it  difficult  to 
believe  that  we  were  in  the  latitude  of  Greenland. 
The  dark  rich  green  of  the  foliage,  the  balmy  odors 
which  filled  the  air,  the  deep  blue  of  the  distant  hills 
and  islands,  and  the  soft,  warm  colors  of  the  houses 
all  belonged  to  the  south." 

Christiania  may  be  regarded  as  a  city  that  was 
twice  founded.  About  1050,  Harold  Haardraade 

251 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

founded  the  town  of  Oslo  on  the  fjord  then  called 
F 'olden  (now  the  Christiania  Fjord)  on  a  plain  be- 
neath the  steep  slopes  of  ETceberg.  Harold  built 
here  a  castle  and  other  edifices;  but  Haakon  V. 
(1299-1319)  was  the  first  to  make  Oslo  a  royal  resi- 
dence and  the  burial  place  for  the  kings.  He  re- 
built the  Mariakirken  erected  in  the  Eleventh  Cen- 
tury. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  Oslo  was  made  the  seat  of  a 
bishopric,  and  became  the  most  important  town,  af- 
ter Bergen,  in  Norway.  At  the  end  of  the  Four- 
teenth Century,  many  merchants  of  the  Hanseatio 
League  were  settled  here  and  carried  matters  with  a 
high  hand  until  the  reign  of  Christian  II.  of  Den- 
mark (1513-1524).  Oslo,  being  built  of  wood,  suf- 
fered frequently  from  fires  in  the  Sixteenth  Cen- 
tury; and  while  it  was  being  besieged  in  1567  by  the 
Swedes,  who  had  destroyed  it  forty  years  before,  the 
inhabitants  burned  it  down  rather  than  let  it  again 
fall  into  their  hands.  It  was  rebuilt,  but  in  1624 
it  was  again  destroyed  by  fire;  and  King  Christian 
IV.  of  Denmark  and  Norway,  who  happened  to  be 
in  Norway  at  the  time,  decided  to  rebuild  the  city 
and  call  it  by  his  own  name. 

"  What  was  done  at  that  time  by  the  king  was 
more  a  removal  than  anything  else,  mainly  effected 
on  military  grounds,  as  the  city  on  its  new  site  was 
brought  into  close  proximity  to  Akershus  Castle,  and, 
shortly  after  its  foundation,  was  surrounded  by  ram- 
parts which  were  built  up  to  the  fortifications  of  the 
Castle  and  formed  with  these  a  united  whole.  The 

252 


The  City  of  Christiania 

citizens  were  not  permitted  to  rebuild  their  dwell- 
ings, but  were  granted  sites  in  the  new  city,  which 
were  parcelled  out  by  the  King  himself  after  pro- 
ceeding to  Akershus  for  the  purpose. 

"  Most  of  the  houses  of  Oslo  were  of  wood  and 
repeatedly  destroyed  and  rebuilt.  On  the  open  por- 
tions of  the  city's  old  ground  there  are  no  inconsid- 
erable remains  of  the  houses  which  were  burnt  down 
by  the  fire  of  1624,  and  which  on  various  occasions, 
especially  during  the  excavations  of  1892,  have  been 
opened  up.  Many  old  houses  by  these  operations 
have  been  brought  to  light,  showing  that  the  destruc- 
tion of  1624  cannot  have  been  so  complete  as  had 
been  imagined.  These  houses,  dating  from  about 
1570,  formed,  as  long  as  they  remained  unexposed, 
a  sort  of  small  Norwegian  Pompeii  in  wood,  and  of 
very  modest  proportions. 

"  As  an  offset  to  Oslo,  with  its  perishable  log  tene- 
ments, Christiania  was,  by  the  decree  of  its  founder, 
to  be  built  of  stone,  and  this  was  carried  out  to  a 
large  extent,  not  however  to  the  extent  desired  by 
the  King,  and  Christiania  was  thus,  even  within  the 
old  ramparts,  far  from  being  a  stone-built  town. 
Compared,  however,  with  Oslo  it  represented  a  very 
great  advance  for  the  times."  * 

Oslo  did  not  disappear  entirely,  but  continued  a 
somewhat  dull  existence  as  a  suburb  of  Christiania 
until  it  was  annexed  in  1859. 

Christiania   suffered   from  three  severe  fires   in 
1686,  1708  and  1858.    The  latter  one  was  the  worst, 
*  Bloch. 
253 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

It  broke  out  in  the  Skipper  Gade  in  the  centre  of 
the  town,  destroyed  sixty  houses,  and  rendered  a 
thousand  persons  homeless.  Vaterland  and  Piper- 
viken  were  almost  swept  away.  The  city  was  also 
visited  by  the  plague  several  times  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century;  and  by  the  cholera  in  1833,  and  in  1840- 
1850.  In  1716,  it  was  occupied  by  the  army  of 
Charles  II.  of  Sweden,  which  besieged  the  Castle  of 
Akershus. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  troubles,  Christiania 
has  grown  steadily.  In  the  middle  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  many  merchants  attained  to  wealth,  par- 
ticularly in  trading  with  the  English.  The  chief 
commodity  was  timber.  In  1807,  Christiania  expe- 
rienced many  calamities;  but,  after  Norway  and 
Sweden  became  united  in  1814,  her  commerce  was 
resuscitated;  and  Christiania  now  ranks  next  to 
Copenhagen  and  Stockholm  among  the  Scandinavian 
towns.  Apart  from  being  a  manufacturing  centre 
and  supplying  the  Norwegian  towns  in  her  vicinity 
with  various  articles,  she  exports  lumber,  matches 
and  ice  in  large  quantities. 

The  University,  founded  in  1811,  made  Chris- 
tiania the  focus  of  the  intellectual  life  of  the  coun- 
try; and  in  1814  it  became  the  seat  of  Government 
and  Parliament  (Storthing').  The  great  event  of 
late  years  was  the  act  of  the  Storthing  dissolving  the 
union  of  Norway  and  Sweden  on  June  7,  1905,  and 
a  son  of  the  King  of  Denmark  taking  his  oath  as 
Hakon  VII.  before  the  Storthing  on  Nov.  27  of  that 
jear. 

254 


The  City  of  Christiania 

And  now  let  us  approach  the  city  with  the  eyes 
of  an  English  traveller: 

"  The  voyage  all  the  way  up  the  fjord  is  now  a 
moving  panorama  of  lake  scenery  unique  in  char- 
acter and  of  considerable  beauty.  Those  who  ex- 
pect savage  grandeur  and  a  picturesque  outline  of 
mountains  and  rocks  will  be  disappointed,  for,  beau- 
tiful as  it  is,  the  aspect  is  tame  compared  with  scen- 
ery in  the  fjords  of  the  west  coast.  Most  of  the 
islands  and  hills  are  too  round  in  form  to  be  very 
picturesque;  they  are  of  granite  and  gneiss,  and  for 
the  most  part  covered  with  fir  and  pine  trees  from 
the  water's  edge  to  the  summit. 

"  If  steaming  up  the  fjord  between  the  months  of 
May  and  July  the  traveller  will  be  much  struck  by 
the  lightness  of  the  nights  and  the  gorgeous  sunset 
effects,  which  blend  into  those  of  sunrise  without 
losing  their  brightness.  The  course  being  due  north 
(towards  the  sun)  there  is  probably  no  place  in  the 
whole  of  Norway  where  sunsets  are  seen  to  greater 
advantage. 

"  On  the  left  just  before  reaching  Christiania 
(158  miles  and  about  12  hours  from  Christiansand) 
will  be  seen  the  Ladegaardso  peninsula,  thickly  cov- 
ered, like  the  rest  of  the  neighborhood  east  and  west, 
with  pretty  wooden  villas.  The  city  is  now  in  sight 
at  the  foot  of  a  hilly  amphitheatre.  The  more  strik- 
ing objects  on  the  left  are  the  palace  and  the  huge 
block  of  handsome  buildings  erected  on  Victoria 
Terrace,  by  the  late  Mr.  Peter  Petersen,  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  citizens  of  Christiania.  The  slim 

255 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

"but  tall  crenellated  tower  of  Oscar's  Hall  adorns  the 
small  bay  to  the  west  while  straight  in  front  lies 
the  once  strong  Castle  of  Akershus." 

Akershus  Castle,  the  ramparts  of  which  are  plant- 
ed with  lime-trees,  and  which  is  now  an  arsenal  and 
prison,  was  the  royal  residence  of  the  Norwegian 
sovereigns  until  about  1740. 

Of  the  original  castle,  built  here  at  the  end  of  the 
Thirteenth  Century,  only  fragments  of  the  founda- 
tions are  left;  for  it  was  besieged  in  1310  by  Duke 
Eric  of  Sweden ;  by  Christian  II.  of  Denmark ;  and 
by  the  Swedes  in  1567  and  1716.  The  arsenal  and 
armory  contain  many  relics  such  as  arms  and  ban- 
ners and  other  objects  of  historical  interest;  and  in 
a  small  tower  on  the  south  side  the  Norwegian  re- 
galia and  articles  belonging  to  the  sovereigns  are 
preserved.  The  old  prisons  are  also  shown  to  vis- 
itors. The  view  is  superb,  and  the  terrace  is  a  fa- 
vorite promenade. 

Rounding  the  point  on  which  the  castle  is  situated, 
the  steamer  soon  reaches  the  railway  quay,  nearly 
opposite  the  Custom  House,  and  is  docked  in  the 
quay-lined  harbor  of  Bjbrviken  where  numerous 
other  ships  and  steamers  are  lying.  This  was  for- 
merly the  eastern  boundary  of  the  original  city.  A 
new  street  here,  Akerselven,  with  a  bridge  across  the 
river,  Aker,  has  been  opened  to  Oslo  harbor. 

"  Old  Christiania  is  very  regular.  Beyond  it  lies 
a  semi-circle  of  suburbs — Piperviken,  Hammersborg, 
fiagbakken,  Vaterland  and  Grbnland  which,  long 
since,  were  included  in  the  town  but  which  yet  defy 

256 




^^^^_^__^  i     n      -—       _-  ^^^^^— 

Copyright,  1910,  by  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

CARL  JOHAN  S  STREET,  ROYAL  PALACE   IN  THE 
DISTANCE,  CHRISTIANIA 


The  City  of  Christiania 

all  attempts  of  arrangement.  With  their  low  houses 
and  crooked  streets,  they  do  not  create  an  attractive 
picture.  Beyond  these  in  the  more  recently  laid- 
out  portions,  there  again  exists  great  regularity,  the 
streets  being  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  and  the 
houses  in  them  fine  and  tall.  Some  of  the  new  quar- 
ters are  filled  with  villas  and  form  some  of  the  pretti- 
est and  most  attractive  parts  of  the  metropolis."  * 

The  main  thoroughfare,  Carl  Johan's  Gade,  is 
also  the  northern  boundary  of  old  Christiania,  and 
runs  from  the  Eastern  Railway  Station  in  a  straight 
line  for  about  a  mile  until  it  ends  at  the  Royal 
Palace.  Carl  Johan's  Gade  is  the  street  of  handsome 
shops,  hotels  and  cafes;  and  the  street  on  which  we 
find  such  important  public  buildings  as  the  Storth- 
ingsbygningen  (House  of  Parliament),  the  Univer- 
sity and  the  Museums.  As  it  is  the  fashionable 
promenade  and  shopping  district,  it  is,  therefore,  the 
street  on  which  the  traveller  loves  to  stroll  and  linger. 

The  Royal  Palace  stands  on  an  eminence  in  the 
beautiful  park  and  gardens  laid  out  in  formal  taste 
with  lakes,  walks  and  beds  of  bright  flowers.  In 
front  of  the  Palace  on  a  terrace  stands  an  equestrian 
statue  of  Charles  John  (Bernadotte),  facing  the 
street  to  which  his  name  is  given.  This  was  un- 
veiled in  1875.  The  Palace  was  erected  in  1823- 
1848  and  is  a  simple,  plain  and  not  particularly  at- 
tractive structure.  It  is  richly  decorated  within 
with  paintings  and  sculpture  by  Norwegian  artists. 
The  chief  rooms  of  interest  are  the  large  Ball  Room, 
*  Bloch. 
257 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  Red  Drawing  Room,  and  the  King's  Billiard 
Room. 

Skirting  the  Palace  Park,  the  road  Drammens 
Veien  (Drammen  Road),  affords  a  delightful  and 
much  frequented  walk.  South  of  the  Palace  lies  the 
famous  Victoria  Terrace  with  its  rows  of  handsome 
houses.  Drammens  Veien  runs  along  until  it  reaches 
a  branch  of  the  fjord  called  the  Kyles  of  Frogner 
and  then  runs  parallel  to  this  boundary  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Frogner.  This  is  fast  becoming 
a  villa  district.  North  and  west  of  the  Palace  Park 
are  other  districts  that  are  being  built  up  with  resi- 
dences, especially  Homansbyen  (Homan's  Town). 

Going  down  Carl  Johan's  Gade  from  the  Palace, 
the  first  building  on  the  left  at  the  foot  of  the  slope 
is  the  University,  which  consists  of  three  fine  build- 
ings, erected  in  1841-1853.  The  Library,  of  375,- 
000  volumes,  is  contained  in  the  wing  nearest  the 
Palace.  The  Centre  building  has  a  fine  portico  orna- 
mented with  a  statue  of  Minerva  and  is  devoted  to 
lecture  rooms  and  halls;  here  we  also  find  the  Zoo- 
logical, Botanical,  Zootomical,  Mineralogical  and 
Ethnographical  Collections. 

Behind  the  University  are  situated  the  Museum 
of  Art  containing  the  sculpture  and  picture  galleries, 
the  Museum  of  Industrial  Art,  and  the  Historical 
Museum.  The  collection  of  Northern  antiquities  in- 
cludes relics  of  the  Stone,  Iron  and  Bronze  Ages, 
and  many  mediaeval  objects  of  great  interest,  among 
which  are  some  marvellously  carved  doors  of  old 
timber  churches. 

258 


The  City  of  Christiania 

Of  all  the  treasures,  however,  the  most  ancient 
and  valuable  are  two  Viking  ships,  one  of  which  was 
found  at  Thune  in  1867  and  the  other  at  Gogstad 
in  1880.  The  latter  is  in  the  better  state  of  pres- 
ervation and  measures  172  feet  from  stem  to  stern. 

A  visitor  describes  it  as  follows: 

"  It  was  unearthed  from  the  mouth  of  the  great 
Christiania  Fjord.  It  is  shrined  as  it  deserves  to  be 
in  a  great  shed  all  to  itself,  with  glass  cases  round 
the  chamber  containing  the  charred  trifles,  bones, 
etc.,  which  were  disinterred  with  it.  The  walls  are 
hung  with  mouldering  ropes  and  detached  fragments 
of  the  boat;  and  also  with  photographs  of  it  and  its 
various  parts.  You  may  walk  all  round  it  on  a 
gravelled  path,  and  so  thoroughly  examine  it  as  it 
stands  in  imposing  ruin,  buttressed  on  supports  as  if 
it  were  in  process  of  construction,  instead  of  a  relic 
of  about  eleven  centuries. 

"  An  imaginative  man  may,  with  the  help  of  pre- 
cise description,  readily  furnish  it  for  one  of  the 
many  marauding  cruises  in  which  doubtless  it  took 
a  part.  Among  the  odds  and  ends  which  were  found 
with  it  were  bits  of  homespun,  supposed  to  belong  to 
the  dead  Viking's  tent,  and  some  peacock  feathers. 
These  last  are  reasonably  believed  to  have  been  the 
result  of  the  Northman's  Foyages  in  southern  seas, 
since  peacocks  were  then  rare  in  Norway.  They 
may  even  have  been  taken  from  some  Saxon  home- 
stead on  the  east  coast  of  England.  The  Viking's 
peacock  was  interred  with  him  in  the  middle  of  the 
boat,  his  horses  and  dogs  being  slain  and  laid  like 

259 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

dead  sentinels  outside  the  death  chamber.  Of  all 
these  animals,  as  well  as  of  the  Viking  himself,  the 
bones  may  be  seen  in  the  cases  of  the  room.  The 
boat  was  drawn  from  the  sea  with  its  stern  towards 
the  water,  and  all  the  details  of  the  burial  having 
been  settled,  and  the  Viking  himself  placed  where 
he  had  commanded  so  often  the  whole  of  the  ship, 
except  the  sepulchral  chamber,  was  covered  with 
potter's  clay,  with  a  layer  of  moss  and  twigs  on  the 
top,  upon  which  the  mound  was  raised. 

"  In  extreme  length  the  boat  is  about  one  hun- 
dred feet,  by  a  middle  width  of  sixteen  feet.  Its 
lines  excite  the  admiration  of  accomplished  ship- 
wrights in  our  day.  Still,  it  is  interesting  to  mark 
how  the  Norwegians  of  the  coast  use  boats  modelled 
quite  after  this  old  fashion.  In  the  Faroe  Isles,  the 
curved  prow  is  even  more  emphatic  in  its  resem- 
blance to  the  Viking's  ship,  whence  it  may  have  de- 
scended by  the  regular  process  of  one  generation 
from  another. 

"  Perhaps  the  most  suggestive  ornaments  of  the 
boat  are  the  four  shields  fixed  to  its  gunwale.  They 
are  round  and  wooden,  with  about  a  third  of  their 
area  raised  above  the  ship's  side  as  a  protection  to 
the  marauders." 

Returning  to  Carl  Johan's  Gade  we  come  to  the 
large  square  called  Eidsvolds  Plods,  which  is  the 
centre  of  life  and  gaiety  and  which  is  surrounded  by 
cafes  and  restaurants  and  extends  as  far  as  the 
Storthingsbygningen  (House  of  Parliament).  This 
building  was  completed  in  18G6.  In  front  of  it 

260 


The  City  of  Christiania 

stand  two  granite  lions  by  Borch.  During  the  sit- 
tings of  Parliament  the  public  is  admitted  to  the 
gallery.  Behind  the  President's  seat  in  the  Storth- 
ing's chamber  is  hung  a  large  painting  by  Oscar 
Wergeland,  representing  the  first  discussion  of  the 
Norwegian  Constitution  at  Eidsvold  in  1814.  On 
the  west  side  of  Eidsvold  Plads  stands  the  National 
Theatre,  erected  in  1895-1899  with  colossal  statues 
of  Ibsen  and  Bjornson. 

Still  walking  eastwards  down  Carl  Johan's  Gade, 
the  next  point  of  interest  is  the  Stortorvet,  or  Torvet, 
the  main  square  or  market  place,  on  one  side  of 
which  rises  the  Cathedral  of  the  diocese  of  Chris- 
tiania— Our  Saviour's  Church — Vor  Frelser's 
Kirke,  which  was  erected  in  1695-1699  and  restored 
in  1849—1850.  The  altar-piece,  representing  Christ 
in  Gethsemane,  is  by  the  German  artist  Steinle  of 
Diisseldorf.  In  the  middle  of  the  square  stands  the 
statue  of  Christian  IV.  by  Jacobsen.  On  this  square 
also  are  the  vegetable  and  meat  markets;  the  Bank; 
and  the  main  fire  brigade  station. 

Various  streets  radiate  from  this  point,  including 
Stor  Gaden  (Main  Street),  in  which  some  old  trades 
still  flourish  and  the  peasantry  congregate.  This 
street  leads  to  the  River  Aker.  Grcensen,  another 
important  street,  connects  this  square  with  Akers 
Gaden.  The  Norwegian  silver-work,  filigree-work, 
enamel-work  and  glass-work  are  particularly  famed, 
and  many  shops  where  these  specialties  are  sold  aro 
situated  in  Carl  Johan's  Gade,  Kirke  Gaden,  Kon- 
gen's  Gade  and  Stor  Gaden. 

261 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

The  next  important  street  to  Carl  Johan  is  Akers 
Gaden,  which  begins  at  Akershus  Castle,  leads  past 
the  Houses  of  Parliament,  crosses  Carl  Johan's 
Gade  and  runs  north  a  long  distance  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  town.  Until  it  reaches  Grsensen,  the 
street  is  narrow,  and  this  part  of  it  in  former  days 
was  so  dirty  that  it  was  called  Svinesund  (Pig 
Sound) ;  but  now  fine  houses  and  buildings  such  as 
the  Courts  of  Justice  and  Government  offices  have 
caused  the  past  squalor  to  be  forgotten.  Here  also 
was  erected  in  1858  the  Trefoldinghedskirke  (Trin- 
ity Church),  a  large  brick  building  with  a  dome 
containing  handsome  interior  decorations,  including 
an  altar-piece  painted  by  Tidemand,  representing  the 
Baptism  of  Christ,  and  a  carved  baptismal  font  of 
kneeling  angels  with  a  shell.  Behind  Trinity 
Church  lies  an  old  churchyard,  consecrated  during 
the  Plague  of  1654,  as  is  shown  by  a  monument  on 
the  left  of  the  entrance. 

Akers  Gaden  branches  off  at  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  of  St.  Olaf  (St.  OlafslcirJce),  a  brick  Gothic 
building  of  1854,  passes  around  the  cemetery  Vor 
Frelsers  Gravlund  and  to  the  old  Aker's  Church 
(Gamle  Akers  Kirke),  built  of  stone  in  the  Eleventh 
Century  and  restored  in  1860-1861  when  the  pres- 
ent spire  was  added.  The  roof  is  flat  and  supported 
by  enormous  pillars.  It  is  now  closed  to  visitors; 
and,  therefore,  we  must  depend  upon  the  impressions 
of  a  traveller  in  1892,  who  wrote: 

"  We  drove  out  to  see  the  old  Akers  Church  in 
the  suburb,  which  has  a  recorded  existence  of  about 

262 


The  City  of  Christiania 

nine  hundred  years.  We  half  expected  to  find  it  a 
wooden  oddity,  like  that  of  Borgund  in  the  moun- 
tains, which  looks  for  all  the  world  like  a  cluster  of 
conical  belfries  joined  at  the  bases.  No  such  thing, 
however.  Akers  is  a  stone  building,  heavy  and  pris- 
on-like as  befits  its  era.  Of  architectural  decoration 
it  has  none.  Its  beauty  lies  in  its  grim  strength  and 
the  solidity  of  its  granite  columns.  It  has  an  ex- 
quisite carved  oak  pulpit  in  keeping  with  the  style 
of  the  church — massive  and  compact,  and  as  different 
as  possible  from  the  carved  work  of  the  Belgian  ar- 
tists in  the  great  church  of  the  Low  Countries. 

"  While  we  sat  admiring  this  pulpit  a  procession 
of  men  and  women  trooped  in  with  two  babies  in 
their  midst.  It  was  a  baptism.  The  children  were 
as  quiet  as  the  Norwegian  winter.  Even  the  palms 
full  of  water  upon  their  little  foreheads  did  not 
awaken  them.  The  beruffled  pastor  made  the  service 
impressive;  the  massive  church  added  to  the  im- 
pressiveness.  Afterwards  the  god-parents,  who  had 
been  separated  and  placed  on  opposing  sides  accord- 
ing to  sex,  filed  past  the  altar  and  gave  their  offer- 
ings, and  the  babes  were  taken  back  to  the  capital 
to  begin  their  life  course." 

North  of  the  old  grave  yard  and  Gamle-Akers 
Kirke  is  St.  Hanshaugen  (St.  John's  Hill),  a  sort 
of  garden  or  park  where  the  city  reservoir  and  water 
works  are  situated,  and  where  there  are  restaurants, 
pretty  walks,  band-stands,  pavilions  and  towers  that 
command  beautiful  views  of  the  town  and  the  fjord 
with  its  islands. 

263 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

On  the  east  lies  Oslo,  which  has  been  absorbed 
by  Christiania  and  is  now  a  suburb.  To  all  appear- 
ances it  is  a  modern  town,  for  all  the  ancient  build- 
ings have  long  disappeared. 

Its  centre  is  the  square  called  St.  Halvards  Plads, 
where  Bispe  Gaden  that  runs  from  the  harbor  joins 
Oslo  Gade.  At  the  point  of  intersection  of  these 
streets  stands  the  Lade  Gaard  (Farm  House),  which 
during  the  Middle  Ages  was  the  palace  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  bishops.  The  great  event  of  historical  in- 
terest that  took  place  in  this  house  was  the  marriage 
of  James  VI.  of  Scotland  to  Anne  of  Denmark,  sister 
of  Christian  IV.,  the  founder  of  Christiania.  The 
princess  left  Christiania  for  Scotland  on  Sept.  5, 
1589,  with  an  escort  of  twelve  war  ships ;  but,  owing 
to  storms  and  an  accident  to  the  royal  flagship,  the 
latter  with  three  other  ships  sought  shelter  at  Oslo 
where  the  bride-elect  was  accommodated  in  the 
Bishop's  Palace.  As  she  was  about  to  return  to 
Denmark,  she  received  news  that  the  impatient  King 
James  had  sailed  for  Norway.  He  arrived  on  Nov. 
19,  and  four  days  later  the  marriage  was  celebrated 
in  the  Bishop's  Palace,  which  was  hung  with  rich 
tapestry  for  the  occasion.  David  Lindsay,  the 
King's  chaplain,  performed  the  ceremony.  After 
spending  a  month  in  Oslo,  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Scotland  left  in  sledges  for  Denmark,  where  they 
spent  the  winter. 

On  the  other  side  of  St.  Halvard's  Plads  stands 
the  Bishop's  Palace  (Bispe  Gaarden),  originally  the 
old  Dominican  monastery ,  a  part  of  which  was 

264 


The  City  of  Christiania 

granted  to  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops  after  the  Ref- 
ormation, during  which  they  lost  their  residence 
just  described.  This  Palace,  in  which  part  of  the 
old  monastery  is  incorporated,  was  rebuilt  and  ex- 
tended in  1882-1884. 

In  the  vicinity  are  situated  Oslo  Church  and 
churchyard,  and  the  Oslo  asylum,  built  around  por- 
tions of  the  old  Franciscan  monastery.  From  this 
spot,  the  tourist  has  a  choice  of  several  roads  by 
which  he  may  climb  to  the  top  of  the  Ekeberg,  or 
Egeburg  Hill,  the  most  attractive  of  which  is  the 
Kongs  Veien  (King's  Road)  which  winds  through 
beautiful  woods  all  the  way.  Of  the  panorama  that 
is  unfolded  there  an  enthusiastic  traveller  writes: 

"  We  ascended  by  numerous  serpentine  windings 
the  steep  height  of  the  Egeburg;  looking  down  from 
its  summit,  what  a  varied  view  is  seen!  The  large 
town  at  the  end  of  the  bay,  in  the  midst  of  the  coun- 
try, spreading  out  in  small  divergent  masses  in  every 
direction,  till  it  is  at  last  lost  in  the  distance  among 
villages,  farm-houses  and  well-built  country-houses. 
There  are  ships  in  the  harbor,  ships  behind  the  beau- 
tiful little  islands  which  front  the  bay,  and  other 
sails  appear  in  the  distance.  The  majestic  forms 
of  the  steep  hills  rising  in  the  horizon  over  other 
hills,  which  bound  the  country  to  the  westward,  are 
worthy  of  Claude  Lorrain.  I  have  long  been  seek- 
ing for  a  resemblance  to  this  country  and  to  this 
landscape:  it  is  only  to  be  found  at  Geneva  on  the 
Savoy  side,  towards  the  Jura  mountains;  but  the 
Lake  of  Geneva  does  not  possess  the  islands  of  the 

265 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

fjord,  nor  the  numerous  ships  and  boats  sailing  in 
every  direction.  Here  the  pleasure  resulting  from 
the  sight  of  the  extraordinary  and  beautiful  country 
is  heightened  by  the  contemplation  of  human  in- 
dustry and  activity."  * 

On  the  other  side  of  Christiania  lies  another  old 
district  called  Bygdo,  anciently  known  as  Bygdey. 

Bygdo,  "  the  cultivated  island,"  first  appears  in 
history  when  King  Haakon  V.  informed  his  bishops 
and  nobles  that  he  had  settled  "  Bygdey  "  upon  his 
bride,  Euphemia,  daughter  of  the  Prince  of  Riigen. 
This  was  inherited  by  her  daughter,  who  granted  it 
in  1352  with  several  islands  near  Oslo  to  the  monas- 
tery of  the  Holy  Virgin  and  St  Edmund  on  the 
island  of  Hovedo  (near  Akershus  Castle),  on  con- 
dition that  they  would  say  masses  for  her.  At  the 
Reformation,  Bygdo  reverted  with  other  monastic 
possessions  to  the  Crown,  and  was  known  as  Lade 
Gaardsoen  (Farm  Island). 

JBygdo  is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  two  arms 
of  the  Fjord — the  Kyles  of  Bestum  and  the  Kyles 
of  Frogner — between  which  a  narrow  neck  barely 
prevents  Bygdo  from  being  an  island.  Bygdo 
may  be  reached  by  road  or  boat.  Many  beautiful 
walks  and  drives  are  to  be  enjoyed  here  through  syl- 
van scenery.  The  portion  of  Bygdo  that  belongs  to 
the  State  consists  of  an  old  manor  house  known  as 
the  Royal  Farm  of  Bygdo,  which  is  situated  in  a 
lovely  park,  greatly  frequented  by  the  people  of 
Christiania  on  Sundays  and  holidays.  The  chief 
*  Von  Buch. 
266 


The  City  of  Christiania 

attraction  of  Bygdo,  however,  is  Oscar's  Hall, 
which  was  erected  by  King  Oscar  I.  in  1849—1852 
for  a  pleasure  seat,  but  which  is  not  now  used  as 
a  dwelling.  The  main  building  consists  of  three 
stories  and  a  tall  tower  from  which  a  beautiful  view 
is  to  be  had.  The  dining-hall  is  in  a  separate  build- 
ing and  is  richly  decorated  with  paintings.  One 
celebrated  series  representing  Norwegian  peasant 
life  is  by  Tidemand.  The  other  rooms  are  deco- 
rated with  paintings  and  sculpture,  and  the  castle 
Contains  quite  a  little  collection  of  art  objects. 

In  the  grounds  there  are  five  buildings  erected 
by  King  Oscar  II.  to  perpetuate  some  of  the  old 
Norwegian  architecture.  These  are  the  Gol  Church, 
an  old  timber  building  of  the  Twelfth  or  Thirteenth 
Century  with  fine  interior  carvings,  which  stood  at 
Gol  in  Hallingdal  until  1884;  the  Hovedstuen,  or 
house  of  a  peasant  proprietor  built  in  1738,  removed 
here  from  Telemarken  and  properly  furnished;  the 
Starbur,  or  Storehouse,  also  from  Telemarken;  an 
ancient  Rogstue  (smoke  hut),  a  very  ancient  dwelling 
with  a  hole  in  the  roof  for  the  smoke  to  escape,  from 
Saetersdalen;  and  a  Barn  from  Gudbrandsdalen. 

Not  far  from  these  is  the  Norwegian  National 
Museum  modelled  somewhat  after  that  of  Skansen 
in  Stockholm  (see  page  243).  The  entrance  gate 
is  a  reproduction  of  an  old  city  gate  of  Bergen  of 
1628.  Here  we  find  reproductions  and  original 
buildings  of  churches,  cottages,  old  gates  and  door- 
ways, etc.  The  Ridehus  contains  twenty-eight  rooms 
filled  with  furniture,  pictures,  textiles,  and  domestic 

267 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

utensils  from  the  various  provinces  of  Norway. 
There  is  also  a  restaurant  here,  the  Gildestueun, 
where  concerts  are  given  every  evening. 

Holmen  Kollen  on  the  northwest  is  the  most  popu- 
lar pleasure  resort  of  Christiania,  both  in  summer 
and  winter.  It  is  an  extensive  establishment  on  a 
hill  about  1,000  feet  above  the  sea-level;  and  con- 
sists of  several  wooden  buildings  all  in  the  Nor- 
wegian style,  including  hotels,  a  "  sporting-house," 
for  cyclists  in  the  summer,  and  skaters,  snow-shoe 
runners  and  tobogganers  in  the  winter.  There  are  also 
pretty  walks  through  the  woods  to  the  lake  and  the 
Peisestuen  (the  "  Hearth  or  Ingle  Nook  cottage  ") 
where  light  refreshments  are  sold.  From  this  point 
may  be  seen  the  clearing  in  the  wood  where  the 
famous  Ski  competition  takes  place  every  February, 
and  which  all  Christiania  goes  to  see.  It  has  been 
called  the  "  Christiania  Derby." 

A  splendid  road,  opened  in  1890  by  the  King  of 
Norway  and  the  Emperor  "William  II. ,  after  whom 
it  is  named,  leads  to  Frogner  Sceter. 

Frogner  Saeter,  formerly  the  "Villa  Heftye," 
was  purchased  by  the  city  of  Christiania  in  1889. 
This  lies  to  the  north-west  of  the  city  and  was  once 
the  great  show  place  in  the  vicinity.  The  house  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Heftye,  who  died  in  1886,  stands  1,380 
feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  is  converted  into  a 
museum  containing  relics  illustrative  of  Norwegian 
domestic  life.  The  view  is  beautiful.  Near  this 
chalet  several  old  Norwegian  buildings  have  been 
re-erected,  including  a  peasant's  cottage  and  other 

268 


The  City  of  Chrigtiania 

quaint  dwellings,  as  well  as  booths  for  rest  and  re- 
freshment. At  some  distance  beyond  Tryvands 
Hoiden  there  is  also  a  special  tower  commanding  an 
extensive  view,  on  the  south  as  far  as  the  Kattegat; 
on  the  east  toward  the  boundary  of  Sweden;  on  the 
north  the  extensive  forests  of  Nordmarken,  where 
the  mountain  peaks  rise  2,000  to  3,000  feet;  on  the 
west  the  snow  capped  fjelds  of  Hallingdal  and  Tele- 
marken ;  and  below,  the  city  encircled  by  green  fields 
and  pine  woods,  and  the  blue  waters  of  the  Christi- 
onia  Fjord  bright  with  islands  and  shipping. 


269 


THE   CITY   OF   EDINBURGH 

THE  MODERN  ATHENS 

T^DINBUBGH,  the  capital  of  Scotland,  has  a 
•*--^  world-wide  fame  for  its  natural  and  artificial 
beauties.  Foreign  visitors  and  native  admirers  all 
unite  in  praise  of  the  varied  charms  of  the  city. 
Thus,  Sir  David  Wilkie,  the  painter,  wrote: 

""What  the  tour  of  Europe  was  necessary  to  see 
elsewhere,  I  now  find  congregated  in  this  one  city. 
Here  are  alike  the  beauties  of  Prague  and  of  Salz- 
burg; here  are  the  romantic  sites  of  Orvieto  and 
Tivoli ;  and  here  is  all  of  the  admired  bays  of  Genoa 
and  Naples.  Here  indeed  to  the  poetic  fancy  may 
be  found  realized  the  Roman  Capital  and  the  Grecian 
Acropolis." 

The  name  Modern  Athens  was  given  to  the  city 
on  account  of  the  similarity  of  the  physical  features 
of  Edinburgh  with  those  of  Athens.  Stuart,  the 
author  of  "  The  Antiquities  of  Athens,"  first  drew 
attention  to  the  resemblance.  Dr.  Clarke  said  that 
the  neighborhood  of  Athens  is  just  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland  enriched  with  the  splendid  remains  of  art. 
~W.  H.  Williams  also  stated  that  the  distant  view  of 
Athens  from  the  ^Egean  Sea  was  considerably  like 
that  of  Edinburgh  from  the  Firth  of  Forth  "  though 
certainly  the  latter  is  considerably  superior." 

270 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

"  Meditative  people  will  find  a  charm  in  a  certain 
consonancy  between  the  aspect  of  the  city  and  its  old 
and  stirring  history.  Few  places,  if  any,  offer  a 
more  barbaric  display  of  contrasts  to  the  eye.  In 
the  very  midst  stands  one  of  the  most  satisfactory 
crags  in  nature — a  Bass  Rock  upon  dry  land,  rooted 
in  a  garden,  shaken  by  passing  trains,  carrying  a 
crown  of  battlements  and  turrets,  and  describing  its 
warlike  shadow  over  the  liveliest  and  brightest  thor- 
oughfare of  the  new  town.  From  their  smoky  bee- 
hives, ten  stories  high,  the  unwashed  look  down  upon 
the  open  squares  and  gardens  of  the  wealthy;  and 
gay  people  sunning  themselves  along  Princes  Street, 
with  its  mile  of  commercial  palaces  all  beflagged 
upon  some  great  occasion,  see,  across  a  gardened  val- 
ley set  with  statues,  the  washings  of  the  old  town 
flutter  in  the  breeze  at  its  high  windows.  And  then, 
upon  all  sides,  what  a  clashing  of  architecture !  In 
this  one  valley,  where  the  life  of  the  town  goes  most 
busily  forward,  there  may  be  seen,  shown  one  above 
and  behind  another  by  the  accidents  of  the  ground, 
buildings  in  almost  every  style  upon  the  globe. 
Egyptian  and  Greek  temples,  Venetian  palaces  and 
Gothic  spires,  are  huddled  one  over  another  in  a  most 
admired  disorder;  while,  above  all,  the  brute  mass 
of  the  Castle  and  the  summit  of  Arthur's  Seat  look 
down  upon  these  imitations  with  a  becoming  dignity, 
as  the  works  of  Nature  may  look  down  upon  the 
monuments  of  Art."  * 

Edinburgh  is  built  on  the  slopes  of  three  hills, 
*  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
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about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  Firth  of  Forth, 
which  is  here  about  six  miles  broad.  It  would  be 
hard  to  say  now  where  Edinburgh  ends  and  the  old 
port,  Leith,  begins.  The  city  also  extends  to  the1 
water  at  Newhaven  and  Granton.  From  its  emi- 
nences the  view  is  extensive  over  sea  and  land — from 
the  Isle  of  May  lighthouse  in  the  German  Ocean  to 
Ben  Ledi  on  the  West. 

The  Castle  Rock  rises  to  a  height  of  385  feet  and 
dominates  the  scene  for  miles  on  every  side.  Its 
strategic  value  was  recognized  very  early.  Roman 
relics  have  been  discovered  nearby;  and  it  was  an 
important  hold  of  the  Picts.  Early  in  the  Seventh 
Century,  Edwin,  King  of  Northumbria,  built  a  for- 
tress here  which  was  named  after  him,  Edwin's-burg 
(Gaelic,  Dunedin). 

Under  Malcolm  Canmore,  whose  wife  Margaret 
died  there  in  1092,  and  during  the  reigns  of  his  three 
sons,  Edinburgh  Castle  was  a  royal  residence.  Un- 
der its  protection,  the  upper  town  rapidly  grew  and 
prospered,  attracting  Anglo-Saxon  and  Norman  col- 
onists. 

Malcolm's  son,  the  pious  David  I.,  founded  the 
Abbey  of  Holyrood,  and  gave  the  canons  the  right 
to  build  a  burgh  between  them  and  the  city.  This 
was  called  the  Canongate.  The  Abbey  served  as  a 
royal  palace,  or,  at  least,  afforded  occasional  accom- 
modation to  the  Scottish  sovereigns  in  the  days  be- 
fore they  adopted  Edinburgh  as  their  permanent 
capital. 

The  Kings  of  Scotland  who  reigned  before  the 
272 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

Stuarts  held  their  courts  in  various  towns.  On  the 
murder  of  James  I.  in  1437  at  Perth,  it  was  felt 
that  a  strong  fortress  was  needed  to  protect  the  crown 
from  the  attacks  of  the  powerful  nobles.  The 
widowed  Queen  and  her  son  James  II.  removed  to 
Edinburgh,  which  was  thenceforth  the  capital  of  the 
Kingdom.  In  1452,  James  II.  by  charter  made 
Edinburgh  pre-eminent  over  the  other  burghs,  and 
the  first  city  wall  was  erected.  James  III.  also 
favored  the  city,  and  raised  it  to  a  sheriffdom 
within  itself,  and  gave  to  the  incorporated  trades  a 
banner  under  which  they  gathered  at  need  and  which 
his  descendant  James  VI.  contemptuously  called  the 
"  Blue  Blanket."  This  is  still  preserved  in  the 
Trades  Maiden  Hospital.  The  city  was  soon  forced 
to  expand.  The  new  town  spread  over  the  valley  to 
the  south,  the  Cowgate  being  the  main  thoroughfare. 
On  the  death  of  James  IV.  and  the  flower  of  his 
nobility  at  the  Battle  of  Flodden  in  1513,  a  new 
protecting  wall  was  built  enclosing  the  Cowgate  and 
land  occupied  by  Greyfriars'  Church,  Heriot's  Hos- 
pital, etc.  The  Canongate  was  not  included,  as  it 
belonged  to  Holyrood. 

The  Cowgate  runs  parallel  with  the  original  main 
street  called  High  Street,  and  was  connected  with  it 
by  more  than  a  hundred  narrow  alleys  or  closes 
threading  the  maze  of  lofty  houses. 

During  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Centuries 
Edinburgh  suffered  several  times  by  English  inva- 
sion and  by  warring  native  factions.  Sometimes  the 
Castle  was  too  strong  to  be  taken.  The  town  was 

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the  scene  of  many  tragedies  of  persecution  and  in- 
tolerance during  the  religious  disturbances  of  that 
period  of  rebellion  and  fanaticism. 

After  the  death  of  James  V.  in  1542,  Cardinal 
Beaton  acted  as  Regent  and  allied  Scotland  with 
France  against  England.  Henry  VIII.  issued  fero- 
cious orders  to  the  Earl  of  Hertford  to  invade  Scot- 
land: 

"  There  to  put  all  to  fire  and  sword,  to  burn  Edin- 
burgh town  and  to  raze  and  deface  it,  when  you  have 
sacked  it  and  gotten  what  you  can  of  it.  Sack  Holy- 
rood  House  and  as  many  towns  and  villages  about 
Edinburgh  as  ye  conveniently  can.  Sack  Leith,  and 
burn  and  subvert  it,  and  all  the  rest,  putting  man, 
woman  and  child  to  fire  and  sword  without  exception 
when  any  resistance  shall  be  made  against  you. 
The  accomplishment  of  all  this  shall  be  most  accept- 
able to  the  majesty  and  honour  of  the  King." 

Consequently,  in  May,  1544,  the  Earl  of  Hertford 
landed  at  Leith,  took  Blackness  Castle  and  demanded 
the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  city.  He  had 
come  to  punish  the  Scots  for  their  detestable  false- 
hood, to  declare  and  show  the  force  of  his  highness's 
sword  to  all  such  as  would  resist  him.  On  the  re- 
ceipt of  a  defiant  answer,  the  English  blew  in  Canon- 
gate,  and  for  two  days  Edinburgh  was  pillaged  and 
burned.  The  invaders,  after  unsuccessfully  bom- 
barding the  Castle,  seized  the  ships  in  Leith  harbor, 
loaded  them  with  spoil  and  sailed  back  to  Berwick. 

Three  years  later  the  English  again  invaded  Scot- 
land; and  at  Musselburgh,  about  six  miles  from 

274 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

Edinburgh,  the  last  battle  was  fought  between  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  as  independent  kingdoms.  On 
the  day  following  the  disastrous  battle,  in  which  ten 
thousand  Scots  were  slain,  the  victorious  English 
burnt  Leith;  but  the  infant  Queen  Mary  was  re- 
moved to  Stirling  for  safety;  and  the  invaders  re- 
treated for  lack  of  provisions. 

In  1550,  Adam  Wallace  was  burned  on  Castle 
Hill  for  calling  the  mass  an  abomination,  but  the 
Reformation  was  working  and  in  June,  1559,  the 
forces  of  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation  took  posses- 
sion of  Edinburgh,  demolished  its  altars,  seized  the 
coining  irons  of  the  Mint  and  the  Regent  retired  to 
Dunbar. 

After  the  defeat  and  flight  into  England  of  Queen 
Mary  in  1568,  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh  was  held  in 
her  interest  by  Kirkaldy  of  Grange.  When  the  Earl 
of  Morton  became  regent,  he  obtained  aid  from  Eng- 
land. Early  in  1573,  fifteen  hundred  English 
troops  and  a  train  of  artillery  arrived,  and  the  Castle 
surrendered  in  May.  The  garrison  was  released, 
but  the  governor  and  his  brother  were  hanged  at  the 
Cross  of  Edinburgh.  Mary's  party  in  Scotland  was 
then  completely  subdued. 

In  1645,  the  city  was  laid  waste  by  plague.  Eive 
years  later,  it  was  captured  by  Cromwell,  the  Castle 
also  capitulating.  On  the  accession  of  Charles  II. 
in  1660,  Edinburgh  saw  a  bitter  persecution  of  the 
Covenanters  which  lasted  for  a  generation. 

At  the  Revolution  of  1689,  there  were  serious 
disturbances  in  which  the  students  of  the  University 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

were  very  active;  but  the  Duke  of  Gordon  who  held 
the  Castle  for  James  II.  surrendered  in  June,  1689. 
The  Act  of  Union  of  1707  was  very  unpopular  in 
Edinburgh,  where  a  reaction  was  felt  in  favor  of 
the  exiled  House  of  Stuart.  In  1745,  during  the 
second  Jacobite  rebellion,  Charles  the  Young  Pre- 
tender was  welcomed  in  Edinburgh  and  held  court 
in  Holyrood  Palace  as  King  of  Scotland  for  a  short 
time;  but  he  failed  to  gain  the  Castle. 

In  1618,  the  city  wall  was  finally  extended.  A 
portion  of  this  is  still  visible  in  the  Vennel,  south  of 
the  Grassmarket  and  west  of  Heriot's  Hospital. 

Within  the  walls  the  population  multiplied,  and 
the  houses  crowded  together  and  rose  high  into  the 
air.  Until  the  middle  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
the  growing  population  was  housed  by  utilizing 
every  square  yard  of  available  space  and  substituting 
tall  buildings  (locally  called  lands)  for  low  ones  and 
projecting  from  them  overhanging  timber  additions. 
In  this  way  were  developed  the  narrow  alleys  and 
closes  that  covered  the  northern  and  southern  slopes 
of  the  ridge  along  which  ran  the  main  street  of  the 
Old  Town. 

Confined  within  her  walls,  Edinburgh  grew  not 
in  area  but  in  height  and  density.  Even  after  the 
Act  of  Union  of  the  Parliaments  of  England  and 
Scotland,  the  city  kept  largely  within  the  walls,  as 
if  she  might  still  need  their  shield  against  the  in- 
vader. Until  the  middle  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
Edinburgh  was  content  to  occupy  only  the  ground 
included  in  the  Old  Town.  Of  the  Mediaeval  town, 

276 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

no  buildings  remain  except  parts  of  the  Castle  and 
St.  Giles;  of  the  present  Holyrood  Palace,  only  two 
towers  date  as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  James  V. 
(1513-1542). 

"  In  all  that  concerns  cleanliness  and  comfort  and 
decent  living,  Old  Edinburgh  was  not  so  much  de- 
ficient as  according  to  our  notions  impossible.  Even 
its  best  folk  had  only  the  life  of  to-day's  working 
man.  A  country  gentleman,  a  successful  lawyer, 
and  with  a  seat  on  the  bench  almost  within  reach, 
pays  £15  a  year  for  his  house.  It  consists  of  three 
rooms  and  a  kitchen.  One  room  was  for  the  law- 
yer's consultations  and  study,  another  was  my  lady's 
parlour,  the  third  was  a  bedroom,  where  a  whole 
household  slept,  save  that  the  housemaid  reposed 
tinder  the  kitchen  dresser,  and  the  man  servant 
found  his  nightly  lodging  elsewhere.  And  of  course 
things  were  still  worse  among  the  trades-people.  An 
eminent  goldsmith  had  a  shop  in  a  booth  stuck  on 
a  wall  of  St.  Giles  Church,  the  nursery  and  kitchen 
however  being  placed  in  a  cellar  under  the  level  of 
the  street,  where  the  children  are  said  to  have  rotted 
off  like  sheep.  There  was  scarce  a  room  in  the  whole 
city  without  a  bed;  there  was  very  little  water,  and 
that  was  laboriously  conveyed  by  caddies  to  the  tops 
of  the  tall  houses ;  pigs  were  kept  under  projections 
towards  the  street  in  which  during  the  day  they 
sought  their  food;  as  the  ground  was  uneven  some 
of  the  houses  were  much  taller  on  one  side  than  the 
other,  there  being  as  many  as  fifteen  stories  in  them. 
The  closes,  as  you  may  see  for  yourself,  are  not 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

very  broad,  and  at  the  top  the  houses  almost  touched. 
Too  little  space,  too  little  water,  too  little  light ;  how 
strange  were  the  domesticities  of  those  old  citizens ! 
And  nearly  everybody  drank  too  much,  washed  too 
little,  swore  horribly  and  lived  roughly. 

"  Nature  and  history  had  shut  all  within  a  narrow 
limit.  On  the  north  the  Nor'  Loch  and  the  Ravine 
prevented  building  until  in  1767  the  North  Bridge 
was  thrown  across,  and  the  New  Town  was  made. 
To  the  west  was  the  Castle  Rock,  and  a  wall  hemmed 
in  the  remainder  of  the  city.  Thus  the  builder, 
since  he  could  not  go  abroad,  must  go  high.  Even 
when  the  Union  was  an  accomplished  fact,  and  the 
walls  were  mere  obstruction,  the  antique  methods  of 
building  and  of  living  but  slowly  gave  way."  * 

In  1788,  the  North  Bridge,  which  had  been  com- 
pleted in  1769,  connecting  the  Old  Town  with  the 
fields  on  the  north,  was  extended  southward  forming 
the  South  Bridge  which  spans  the  Cowgate  and  thus 
made  a  level  way  to  the  southern  suburbs.  A  short 
distance  to  the  westward  George  the  Fourth's  Bridge 
was  erected  and  later  Regent's  Bridge,  Waterloo 
Place,  which  spans  the  valley  between  Princes  Street 
and  the  Calton  Hill  and  the  Dean  Bridge  over  the 
Water  of  Leith.  The  new  North  Bridge  was  begun 
in  1896.  Of  late  years,  many  old  streets  have  been 
cut  through  or  widened. 

The  Castle  is  situated  on  a  high  rock  that  descends 
almost  perpendicularly  on  three  sides,   and  slopes 
gradually  on  the  east  to  Holyrood. 
*  Henderson. 
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The  City  of  Edinburgh 

Malcolm  Canmore  left  Queen  Margaret  here  when 
he  and  his  sons  invaded  England  in  1093 ;  and  on 
hearing  the  news  of  his  death  she  fell  ill  and  died. 
Her  body  was  secretly  carried  down  the  west  cliffs 
when  the  news  was  received  of  a  new  claimant  to  the 
throne.  Edinburgh  Castle  surrendered  to  Henry 
II.  in  1174,  and  was  captured  in  1296  by  Edward  I. 
and  held  by  the  English  until,  in  1312,  Bruce's  fol- 
lowers scaled  the  southern  cliff  which  had  until  then 
been  deemed  inaccessible.  Edward  Baliol  returned 
it  to  the  English ;  Edward  III.  refortified  it ;  and  in 
1341  Sir  William  Douglas  recovered  it  by  strata- 
gem. One  of  the  greatest  attacks  it  sustained  was 
the  siege  of  thirty-three  days  for  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots  against  the  Regent  Morton  and  his  English 
support  under  Sir  William  Drury;  but  it  was  forced 
to  capitulate.  Cromwell  also  took  the  Castle  in 
1650,  after  the  Battle  of  Dunbar,  and  threatened  to 
blow  up  the  historic  pile ;  and  in  1745  it  refused  to 
open  its  gates  to  Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart 

The  outer  gateway,  built  in  1882,  leads  to  a 
vaulted  archway  called  the  Portcullis  Gate,  over 
which  is  the  Constable's,  or  Argyll,  Tower,  the  old 
State  Prison.  This  tower  was  built  by  David  II.  in 
1369;  and  fell  in  the  siege  of  1573.  It  was  re- 
stored in  1890.  The  road  winds  and  passes  through 
another  gateway  to  a  platform  that  commands  a 
magnificent  view.  On  it  stands  the  famous  piece  of 
artillery  called  "  Mons  Meg,"  said  by  some  authori- 
ties to  have  been  made  at  Mons  in  Hainault  in  1846, 
while  others  say  it  was  made  at  Castle  Douglas  in 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Galloway  and  given  to  James  II.  at  the  siege  of 
Thrieve  Castle  in  1455.  It  is  repeatedly  mentioned 
in  Scottish  history. 

Mons  Meg  stands  in  front  of  St.  Margaret's 
Chapel,  which  is  the  oldest  building.  It  occupies 
the  very  summit  of  the  rock.  Some  authorities  be- 
lieve this  was  the  chapel  in  which  Queen  Margaret, 
the  wife  of  Malcolm  Canmore,  worshipped.  If  so, 
it  is  the  oldest  ecclesiastical  building  in  Scotland. 
It  is  small — only  sixteen  feet  by  ten.  The  chapel 
was  restored  in  1853. 

Beyond  the  platform  is  situated  tne  Half-Moon 
Battery,  from  which  royal  salutes  and  the  time  gun 
are  fired,  the  signal  for  which  is  given  by  a  ball 
dropped  on  the  top  of  Nelson's  Monument  on  the 
Calton  Hill. 

Beyond  the  Half-Moon  Battery  is  a  quadrangle, 
called  Palace-Yard,  on  the  south  side  of  which  is 
situated  the  Great  Hall,  and  on  the  east  side  the 
old  Palace.  The  former,  also  called  Parliament 
Hall,  is  84  feet  by  33  feet,  and  has  an  open  timber 
roof  45  feet  high.  This  splendid  room  was  built  in 
1424,  and  was  used  for  state  receptions.  Here  the 
Earl  of  Leven  entertained  Cromwell  in  1648.  It 
was  restored  in  1892 ;  and  until  then  had  been  used 
as  a  sort  of  store  room  for  the  military  hospital  for 
two  hundred  years. 

The  Palace  dates  from  the  Fifteenth  Century, 
with  additions  of  1566  and  1516.  In  the  south- 
east corner  are  the  apartments  occupied  by  the  regent 
Mary  de  Guise  and  her  daughter,  Mary  Stuart,  and 

280 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

in  the  small  room  on  the  ground  floor,  James  VI. 
was  born  on  June  19,  1566.  Another  interesting 
apartment  is  the  Crown  Room,  in  which  the  regalia 
or  the  "  Honors  of  Scotland,"  as  these  treasures  are 
called,  are  preserved  within  an  iron  cage.  They 
comprise  a  crown  supposed  to  date  from  the  days  of 
Robert  Bruce  but  ornamented  with  gold  bands  by 
James  V.  in  1536,  and  last  used  at  the  Coronation 
of  Charles  II.  at  Scone  in  1651;  a  sceptre,  made  in 
1536;  and  a  magnificent  sword  of  state  given  to 
James  IV.  by  Pope  Julius  II.  Various  jewels, 
badges,  orders,  etc.,  belong  also  to  this  collection. 

The  Arsenal  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Castle  and 
contains  a  fine  display  of  arms  and  armor  of  vari- 
ous dates.  The  Picture  Gallery  (150  feet  long,  27 
feet  broad  and  18  feet  high)  is  hung  with  some  valu- 
able old  pictures  and  a  number  of  fancy  portraits  of 
ancient  Scottish  kings.  In  this  hall,  the  represen- 
tative Peers  of  Scotland  are  elected. 

From  the  Castle,  a  straight  thoroughfare  a  mile 
long,  called  successively  Lawnmarket,  High  Street 
and  Canongate  leads  to  Holyrood  Palace. 

Castle  Hill  of  old  was  occupied  by  the  mansions 
of  the  nobility.  These  have  all  been  destroyed  by 
fire,  or  by  modern  improvements. 

From  this  place,  the  famous  West  Bow  wound 
down  to  the  Grassmarket.  Though  now  transformed 
into  a  flight  of  steps,  it  was  formerly  the  principal 
way  by  which  carriages  reached  the  high  ground  of 
the  city.  It  took  its  name  from  the  bow  or  arch  in 
the  wall  that  formed  the  western  gateway  of  the  city. 

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The  Grassmarket  was  the  place  of  public  execu- 
tion from  1666  to  1784.  The  hangman's  cart  con- 
veyed the  condemned  to  the  scaffold  down  the  steep 
West  Bow.  Among  the  most  famous  of  these,  the 
Marquis  of  Montrose  and  the  Earl  of  Argyle  may 
be  mentioned.  The  Covenanters  were  burned  in  the 
Grassmarket.  At  the  east  end  of  the  square  a  circle 
enclosing  a  cross  marks  the  spot  where  the  gibbet 
stood.  The  Castle  Hill  was  the  scene  of  many  witch 
burnings. 

From  the  Grassmarket,  Candlemakers  Row  will 
take  us  to  Greyfriars  Church  and  Burying  Ground, 
formerly  a  garden  belonging  to  the  monastery  of  the 
Grey  Friars,  founded  by  James  I. 

"  The  Friars  must  have  had  a  pleasant  time  on 
summer  evenings ;  for  their  gardens  were  situated  to 
a  wish,  with  the  tall  castle  and  the  tallest  of  the 
castle  crags  in  front.  Even  now,  it  is  one  of  our 
famous  Edinburgh  points  of  view ;  and  strangers  are 
led  thither  to  see,  by  yet  another  instance,  how 
strangely  the  city  lies  upon  her  hills.  The  inclosure 
is  of  an  irregular  shape;  the  double  church  of  Old 
and  ]STew  Greyfriars  stands  on  the  level  at  the  top; 
a  few  thorns  are  dotted  here  and  there,  and  the 
ground  falls  by  terrace  and  steep  slope  toward  the 
north.  The  open  shows  many  slabs  and  table  tomb- 
stones; and  all  round  the  margin,  the  place  is  girt 
by  an  array  of  aristocratic  mausoleums  appallingly 
adorned."  * 

Old    Greyfriars    Church,    erected   in    1612    and 
*  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
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The  City  of  Edinburgh 

burned  in  1845,  was  notable  as  being  the  place  where 
the  Covenant  was  signed  on  March  1,  1638,  from 
which  the  popular  party  received  the  name  of  Cove- 
nanters. The  paper  waa  signed  on  the  tomb  of  Bos- 
well  of  Auchinleck  by  many  nobles  and  gentry,  then 
by  three  hundred  ministers  and  a  great  multitude  of 
the  people. 

The  New  Greyfriars  Church,  built  in  1721,  con- 
tains little  of  interest. 

"  In  the  ancient  graveyard  of  Greyfriars  Church, 
which  contains  the  dust  of  all  the  contending  fac- 
tions of  Scottish  history — where  the  monument  of 
the  Covenanters  recounts  their  praises  almost  within 
sight  of  the  Grassmarket  where  they  died;  where 
rest  the  noblest  leaders  both  of  the  moderate  and  of 
the  stricter  party — there  rises  another  stately  sepul- 
chre, at  once  the  glory  and  the  shame  of  Scottish  lib- 
erals. It  is  the  ponderous  tomb,  bolted  and  barred, 
of  Sir  George  Mackenzie,  the  Lord  Advocate  under 
James  II.  He  it  is  of  whom  Davie  Deans  has  said 
that  (  he  will  be  kenned  by  the  name  of  Bluidy  Mac- 
kenzie so  long  as  there's  a  Scot's  tongue  to  speak  the 
word.'  "  * 

In  this  churchyard,  the  1,200  prisoners  taken  at 
Bothwell  Brig  in  1679  were  penned  under  brutal 
conditions  because  there  was  no  prison  large  enough 
to  hold  them. 

On  the  summit  of  a  ridge  lying  between  the  Grass- 
market  and  the  Meadows  and  adjoining  Greyfriars 
Churchyard    stands    Heriot's    Hospital,    a    charity 
*  Dean  Stanley. 
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school  founded  by  George  Heriot,  the  goldsmith  and 
banker  to  James  VI.  of  Scotland  and  I.  of  Eng- 
land, who,  dying  in  1624,  left  property  to  build  a 
hospital  for  the  maintenance  and  education  of  poor 
boys.  A  fine  description  is  given  of  this  donor  in 
Scott's  "  Fortunes  of  Nigel."  Heriot's  Hospital  was 
begun  in  1628  and  finished  in  1650,  and  is  a  noble 
quadrangular  edifice  in  the  transitional  style  of  the 
Stuarts.  There  is  much  elaborate  detail  upon  it  and 
of  its  two  hundred  windows  no  two  are  alike.  It 
is  adorned  with  towers  and  turrets,  and  a  fine  gate- 
way leads  into  a  quadrangle.  A  statue  of  Heriot 
is  placed  above  the  entrance.  It  was  used  for  a 
time  as  a  hospital  for  Cromwell's  soldiers. 

Entering  High  Street  from  the  Lawnmarket,  St. 
Giles's  Church  is  on  the  right.  This  edifice,  which 
has  suffered  so  many  mutilations,  was  built  gradu- 
ally from  the  Twelfth  to  the  Fifteenth  Century,  and 
originally  possessed  great  architectural  beauty.  The 
square  central  tower,  surmounted  with  flying  but- 
tresses that  form  a  kind  of  open  crown,  still  remains, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  imposing  architectural  fea- 
tures of  the  city.  A  narrow  passage  led  from  the 
Old  Tolbooth  to  St.  Giles;  and  from  1639  to  1817 
a  number  of  small  shops  called  Krames,  built  out- 
side against  the  walls,  existed.  Booksellers  and  jew- 
ellers occupied  locked  shops  called  Luckenbooths 
that  extended  halfway  across  High  Street  on  the 
north  side. 

On  High  Street,  we  pass  the  County  Buildings, 
erected  in  1902-3,  and  a  bronze  statue  to  the  fifth 

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The  City  of  Edinburgh 

Duke  of  Buccleuch.  To  the  east  of  this  a  peculiar 
memorial  of  the  past  is  to  be  seen, — a  heart  picked 
out  with  stones  in  the  pavement — the  "  Heart  of 
Midlothian,"  to  mark  the  site  of  the  old  Tolbooth, 
or  Toll  House,  which  was  pulled  down  in  1817. 
The  latter  was  built  about  1466,  and  was  the  Par- 
liament House  of-  Scotland  till  1640,  when  the  new 
one,  now  the  Supreme  Courts,  was  built  on  the 
south  side  of  Parliament  Square.  The  Old  Tol- 
booth became  a  prison:  heads  of  offenders  were  ex- 
posed on  a  platform  facing  the  Lawnmarket,  and 
public  executions  took  place  here  after  1784.  Scott 
in  "  The  Heart  of  Midlothian  "  describes  the  "  an- 
cient prison,  which,  as  is  well  known  to  all  men, 
rears  its  ancient  front  in  the  very  middle  of  the  High 
Street,  forming,  as  it  were,  the  termination  to  a 
huge  pile  of  buildings  called  the  Luckenbooths, 
which,  for  some  inconceivable  reason,  our  ancestors 
had  jammed  into  the  midst  of  the  principal  street 
of  the  town,  leaving  for  passage  a  narrow  street  on 
the  north,  and  on  the  south,  into  which  the  prison 
opens,  a  narrow  crooked  lane,  winding  betwixt  the 
high  and  sombre  walls  of  the  Tolbooth  and  the  ad- 
jacent houses  on  the  one  side,  and  the  buttresses  and 
projections  of  the  old  Cathedral  upon  the  other.  To 
give  some  gaiety  to  this  sombre  passage,  well  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Krames,  a  number  of  little  booths 
or  shops,  after  the  fashion  of  cobblers'  stalls,  are 
plastered,  as  it  were,  against  the  Gothic  projections 
and  abutments,  so  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  traders 
had  occupied  with  nests,  bearing  the  same  propor- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

tion  to  the  building,  every  buttress  and  coign  of  van- 
tage, as  the  martlet  did  in  Macbeth's  castle.  Of 
later  years  these  booths  have  degenerated  into  mere 
toy-shops,  where  the  little  loiterers  chiefly  interested 
in  such  wares  are  tempted  to  linger,  enchanted  by 
the  rich  display  of  hobby-horses,  babies  and  Dutch 
toys,  arranged  in  artful  and  gay  confusion ;  yet  half- 
scared  by  the  cross  looks  of  the  withered  pantaloon, 
or  spectacled  oid  lady,  by  whom  these  tempting  stores 
are  watched  and  superintended.  But  in  the  times 
we  write  of  the  hosiers,  the  glovers,  the  hatters,  the 
mercers,  the  milliners,  and  all  who  dealt  in  the  mis- 
cellaneous wares  now  termed  haberdashers'  goods, 
were  to  be  found  in  this  narrow  alley." 

St.  Giles's  has  had  strange  experiences:  at  dif- 
ferent times  it  has  been  used  as  a  church,  a  grammar 
school,  the  Courts  of  Justice,  the  town-clerk's  office, 
a  prison,  and  the  storehouse  of  the  machinery  of  the 
the  gallows. 

In  1466,  King  James  II.  made  it  a  Collegiate 
Church;  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation 
in  Scotland  it  had  thirty-six  altars.  These,  together 
with  the  rood-loft,  were  destroyed  by  the  Reformers; 
and  the  statue  of  St.  Giles,  the  patron  saint,  was 
thrown  into  the  Nor'  Loch  by  the  mob.  The  church 
was  then  divided  into  four  separate  places  of  worship 
and  the  sacred  relics  and  vessels  were  sold  and  the 
money  used  for  the  repair  and  maintenance  of  the 
building.  Very  little  respect  was  paid  to  the  sacred 
precincts.  Parts  of  it  were  used  for  shops  and  cor- 
porate offices;  and  even  criminals  were  detained 

286 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

there.  John  Knox,  who  was  minister  there  from 
1559  to  1572,  conducted  divine  service  in  the  de- 
lapidated  church.  Kirkaldy  of  Grange  fortified  and 
defended  it  against  the  Regent  Morton  in  1571. 

Before  taking  his  departure  to  become  King  of 
England  in  1603,  James  VI.  of  Scotland  made  a 
farewell  address  in  this  church  to  his  loving  subjects, 
promising  to  uphold  Presbyterianism  and  visit  Scot- 
land once  every  three  years  at  least.  However,  he 
did  not  return  for  fourteen  years,  and  he  endeavored 
to  re-establish  Episcopacy  in  Scotland. 

His  luckless  son,  Charles  I.,  tried  to  force  the 
episcopal  form  of  church  government  on  the  Scots, 
and  in  1634,  Edinburgh  was  made  a  bishopric  with 
St.  Giles  as  the  cathedral.  "When  the  dean  attempted 
to  read  the  new  liturgy,  that  was  drawn  up  by  Arch- 
bishop Laud,  from  the  pulpit  for  the  first  time, 
Jenny  Geddes  flung  her  cutty-stool  at  his  head,  and 
the  service  ended  in  an  uproar.  The  bishop,  Lind- 
say, was  saved  from  the  violence  of  the  enraged  mob 
with  difficulty  (1637). 

The  church  contains  the  monuments  of  several 
eminent  men.  That  of  the  Regent  Murray  is  a  fac- 
simile reproduction  of  the  one  destroyed  in  1829. 
There  are  also  memorials  of  the  Marquis  of  Mon- 
trose  and  Napier  of  Merchiston,  who  were  buried 
here. 

Outside  the  church,  on  the  north-east  stands  the 
Old  City  Cross,  restored  and  mounted  on  a  new  ped- 
estal at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Gladstone  in  1885.  It 
is  a  stone  shaft  about  twenty  feet  high,  surmounted 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

by  a  unicorn,  the  original  of  which  was  destroyed 
by  Cromwell.  It  was  removed  from  its  conspicuous 
position  in  the  High  Street  (now  marked  by  a  circle 
of  stones  in  the  causeway)  to  the  park  at  Drum  near 
Dalkeith;  and  was  brought  back  in  1866.  It  was 
the  centre  around  which  scholars,  merchants  and 
gossips  congregated.  On  the  king's  birthday,  in  the 
days  of  the  Georges,  his  health  was  drunk  by  the 
magistrates  from  a  platform  in  front  of  it.  The 
scaffold  was  erected  beside  it  until  1666.  From  it 
State  proclamations  were,  and  are  now  again,  made 
by  heralds.  Here  the  Young  Pretender  was  pro- 
claimed King  of  England  and  Scotland  in  1745. 

"  On  the  site  of  the  Cross,  what  terrible  mem- 
ories, what  keen  emotions  those  memories  bring 
forth !  There  is  Kirkaldy  of  Grange  swinging  from 
his  gibbet  in  the  sun  and  slowly  lifting  up  his  bound 
hands  as  Knox  had  foretold  of  him;  or  Montrose, 
like  the  gallant  gentleman  he  was,  goes  proud  and 
fearless  to  his  doom;  or  again,  his  opponent  Argyll, 
not  less  calmly  takes  his  last  look  on  the  familiar 
scene  before  he  lays  his  head  down  on  the  block  and 
all  is  over;  or  Claverhouse,  at  the  head  of  his  horse, 
thunders  over  the  rough  stones  of  the  street  on  his 
way  to  the  north  to  Killiecrankie  and  death  and 
fame;  or  a  young  Prince,  handsome  and  debonair, 
rides  along  in  the  front  of  victorious  forces  to  take 
possession  of  the  palace  of  his  ancestors." 

Parliament  Square,  on  the  south  of  St.   Giles's, 
was  once  part  of  the  churchyard.     It  contains  an 
*  Henderson. 
288 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

equestrian  statue  of  Charles  II.  that  was  cast  in  Hol- 
land and  set  up  the  year  the  king  died.  Close  by  it 
a  square  stone  inscribed  "  I.  K.  1572  "  marks  tho 
grave  of  John  Knox.  The  house  where  he  is  said 
to  have  lived  is  on  the  High  Street  where  it  nar- 
rows beyond  the  intersection  with  the  North  and 
South  Bridge.  It  juts  into  the  street  with  an  exte- 
rior staircase,  and  the  rooms  are  small,  dark  and  low. 
It  is  probably  the  only  example  of  a  Sixteenth  Cen- 
tury dwelling  still  standing  in  the  Old  Town. 

Canongate  is  a  continuation  of  High  Street  and 
leads  to  Holyrood.  Originally  belonging  to  the  Ab- 
bey, it  was  occupied  by  the  Canons  and  thus  received 
its  name.  As  it  was  close  to  the  Palace,  naturally 
enough  the  nobility  built  houses  here,  but  their  glory 
has  now  departed.  Moray  House,  built  in  1628  by 
the  Countess  of  Home,  is  now  a  normal  school.  In 
1645,  it  was  owned  by  the  Countess  of  Moray  and 
from  one  of  the  balconies  the  Marquis  of  Argyll,  en- 
joying the  wedding  festivities  of  his  son  with  the 
Countess's  daughter  in  1650,  watched  Montrose 
borne  in  a  cart  to  the  Old  Tolbooth.  Cromwell  used 
this  house  as  headquarters  in  1648  and  in  1650. 

The  Canongate  Tolbooth  stands  opposite;  it  was 
built  in  1591  for  a  jail  and  court-house;  but  is  now 
a  register  and  revenue  office.  This  must  not  be  con- 
fused with  the  Old  Tolbooth  that  stood  next  to  St. 
Giles's. 

An  old  Cross  once  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  street. 
A  more  modern  one,  dating  from  1688  was  placed  in 
front  of  the  Canongate  Church. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

A  very  interesting  timber  house  dating  from  1570, 
called  the  Speaking  House  and  Queensberry  House, 
a  handsome  building  in  the  style  of  a  French  cha- 
teau, the  residence  of  the  Duke  of  Queensberry  and 
•where  Gay  lived  while  he  was  secretary  to  the 
Duchess,  are  on  the  right  side.  The  latter  is  now 
a  House  of  Refuge.  Opposite  was  situated  the  fa- 
mous "White  Horse  Inn.  I^ear  the  Palace  is  a  little 
turreted  building  known  as  Queen  Mary's  Bath, 
through  which  the  murderers  of  Rizzio  escaped. 

A  fountain,  copied  from  one  at  Linlithgow  Pal- 
ace, and  standing  in  front  of  Holyrood  Palace,  was 
a  gift  from  the  Prince  Consort. 

One  day  when  King  David  I.  was  hunting  in  the 
forest  of  Drumsheugh,  he  was  in  great  danger  of 
being  wounded  by  a  stag  at  bay,  but  a  bright  cross 
suddenly  appeared  which  put  the  animal  to  flight. 
To  commemorate  his  miraculous  deliverance,  King 
David  founded  the  Abbey  of  the  Holy  Cross,  Holy- 
rood  Abbey. 

Of  the  old  abbey  only  the  nave  and  some  other 
fragments  remain  in  the  existing  Royal  Chapel  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Palace.  The  nave  is  large,  con- 
sisting of  eight  bays  and  aisles.  The  rest  of  the 
church  chiefly  belongs  to  the  Twelfth  Century,  but 
has  suffered  greatly  from  fires.  Many  royal  wed- 
dings took  place  here,  including  those  of  James  II. 
and  James  III.,  and  here  Mary  Stuart  was  married 
to  Darnley  on  July  29,  1565.  Holyrood  was  made 
the  parish  church  of  the  Canongate  in  1569;  was 
magnificently  fitted  up  by  Charles  I.,  who  was 

290 


The  City  of  Edinburgh 

crowned  here;  and  Charles  II.  made  it  the  Chapel 
Royal.  In  1688  the  mob  destroyed  it  because  mass 
had  been  celebrated  here.  Holyrood  Chapel  has  been 
several  times  restored.  In  this  chapel  were  buried 
James  V.  and  his  wife;  Rizzio,  and  Lord  Darn- 
ley. 

Queen  Mary's  apartments,  consisting  of  an  audi- 
ence chamber,  a  bedroom  and  two  small  cabinets, 
contain  some  old  furniture,  and  communicate  by  a 
private  stair  in  the  wall  with  the  rooms  occupied  by 
Darnley  below.  In  one  of  the  small  cabinets,  the 
murder  of  Rizzio  took  place,  and  his  body  was 
thrown  down  this  staircase  the  top  of  which  enters 
the  bedroom. 

Queen  Mary  was  also  married  to  Bothwell  in 
Holyrood,  but  not  in  the  church. 

The  Palace  of  Holyrood  was  built  by  James  IV. 
and  James  V.  and  was  burned  twice  by  the  English ; 
once  in  1544,  and  by  Cromwell's  soldiers  in  1650. 
The  only  portion  that  escaped  was  the  apartments 
occupied  by  Mary  Stuart  after  her  return  from 
France  in  1561.  The  rest  of  the  Palace  was  rebuilt 
in  1671—79  after  the  model  of  the  Chateau  of  Chan- 
tilly  in  France. 

South  of  Holyrood  is  the  King's  Park  in  which 
Arthur's  Seat  is  situated,  a  lofty  eminence,  823  feet 
high,  named  for  the  legendary  King  of  Round  Table 
fame,  commanding  a  superb  view.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  whoever  will  walk  to  Arthur's  Seat  on  May 
Day  and  wash  his  or  her  face  in  the  dew  at  sunrise 
will  remain  beautiful  for  a  year. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

The  best  view  of  the  city  is  to  be  obtained  from 
Calton  Hill. 

"  The  east  of  new  Edinburgh  is  guarded  by  a 
craggy  hill,  of  no  great  elevation,  which  the  town 
embraces.  The  old  London  road  runs  on  one  side 
of  it;  while  the  Xew  Approach,  leaving  it  on  the 
other  hand,  completes  the  circuit.  You  mount  by 
stairs  in  a  cutting  of  the  rock  to  find  yourself  in  a 
field  of  monuments.  Dugald  Stewart  has  the  honors 
of  situation  and  architecture ;  Burns  is  memorialized 
lower  down  upon  a  spur;  Lord  Nelson,  as  befits  a 
sailor,  gives  his  name  to  the  top-gallant  of  the  Cal- 
ton Hill.  But  the  chief  feature  is  an  unfinished 
range  of  columns,  '  the  Modern  Ruin  '  as  it  has  been 
called,  an  imposing  object  from  far  and  near,  and 
giving  Edinburgh,  even  from  the  sea,  that  false  air 
of  a  Modern  Athens  which  has  earned  for  her  so 
many  slighting  speeches.  The  old  Observatory — a 
quaint  brown  building  on  the  edge  of  the  steep — and 
the  new  Observatory — a  classical  edifice  with  a  dome 
— occupy  the  central  portion  of  the  summit.  All 
these  are  scattered  on  a  green  turf,  browsed  over  by 
some  sheep. 

"  Immediately  underneath  upon  the  south,  you 
command  the  yards  of  the  High  School,  and  the 
towers  and  courts  of  the  new  Jail — a  large  place, 
castellated  to  the  extent  of  folly,  standing  by  itself 
on  the  edge  of  a  steep  cliff,  and  often  joyfully  hailed 
by  tourists  as  the  Castle. 

"  From  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  a  gigantic  chim- 
ney rises  almost  to  the  level  of  the  eye,  a  taller  and 

292 


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The  City  of  Edinburgh 

a  shapelier  edifice  than  Nelson's  Monument.  Look 
a  little  further,  and  there  is  Holyrood  Palace.  By 
way  of  an  outpost,  you  can  single  out  the  little  peak- 
roofed  lodge,  over  which  Rizzio's  murderers  made 
their  escape  and  where  Queen  Mary  herself,  accord- 
ing to  gossip,  bathed  in  white  wine  to  entertain  her 
loveliness.  Behind  and  overhead,  lie  the  Queen's 
Park,  from  Muschat's  Cairn  to  Dumbiedykes,  St. 
Margaret's  Loch,  and  the  long  wall  of  Salisbury 
Crags;  and  thence,  by  knoll  and  rocky  bulwark  and 
precipitous  slope,  the  eye  rises  to  the  top  of  Arthur's 
Seat,  a  hill  for  magnitude,  a  mountain  in  virtue  of 
its  bold  design.  This  upon  your  left.  Upon  the 
right,  the  roofs  and  spires  of  the  Old  Town  climb 
one  above  another  to  where  the  citadel  prints  its 
broad  bulk  and  jagged  crown  of  bastions  on  the 
western  sky.  To  complete  the  view,  the  eye  enfilades 
Princes  Street,  black  with  traffic,  and  has  a  broad 
look  over  the  valley  between  the  Old  Town  and  the 
New:  here,  full  of  railway  trains  and  stepped  over 
by  the  high  North  Bridge  upon  its  many  columns, 
and  there,  green  with  trees  and  gardens." 

On  the  northwest  side  of  Calton  Hill  is  Greenside, 
a  natural  amphitheatre  much  resorted  to  in  the  old 
days.  It  was  a  favorite  tilting-ground,  and  plays 
were  acted  here  sometimes  in  the  presence  of  the 
court.  It  was  also  the  scene  of  the  death  of  heretics 
and  witches  at  the  stake. 

The  New  Town  has  all  been  built  on  a  plan  pro- 
posed by  James  Craig  in  1768  and  modified  in  1774. 
The  new  terrace  that  was  to  outshine  the  old  High 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Street  was  called  St.  Giles's  Street  after  the  patron 
saint  of  the  city;  but  George  III.  had  it  altered  to 
Princes  Street  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
This  famous  highway  of  the  New  Town,  which  has 
been  called  the  finest  street  in  Europe,  is  a  mile  long 
and  quite  straight;  and  is  separated  from  the  Old 
Town  by  the  extensive  and  beautiful  Princes  Street 
Gardens  which  occupy  the  ground  formerly  covered 
by  the  waters  of  the  Nor'  Loch.  Near  the  east  end 
of  Princes  Street,  on  the  south  side,  is  the  Scott 
Monument,  an  elegant  Gothic  structure  designed  by 
G.  M.  Kemp,  a  native  architect  who  died  before  it 
was  completed  in  1844.  It  is  two  hundred  feet  high 
and  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  steps  lead  to  the 
top  gallery.  Four  arched  and  pinnacled  buttresses 
support  a  central  tower  which  rises  in  diminishing 
courses  and  ends  in  a  pinnacle.  The  niches  are 
filled  with  sculptural  impersonations  of  the  novel- 
ist's principal  characters.  Beneath  the  canopy  of  the 
monument  is  a  statue  of  Sir  Walter  seated  and  at- 
tended by  his  favorite  dog  Bevis. 


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THE    CITY   OF   DUBLIN 

DUBLIN  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  Liffey  that  flows  into  the  Bay  of  Dublin, 
which  has  been  compared  in  picturesque  charm  to  the 
Bay  of  Naples.  This  sheet  of  water  is  six  miles  broad, 
with  a  sweep  of  sixteen  miles,  and  is  surrounded  by 
hills  that  tower  about  five  hundred  feet  on  the  north 
and  south.  On  the  north  arm  of  the  Bay  rises  the 
hill  of  Howth,  with  its  castle  and  the  Bailey  Light- 
house, a  landmark  for  many  miles  out  at  sea,  stand- 
ing on  a  perpendicular  rock,  134  feet  above  the 
water.  Below  the  waves  break  upon  the  outlying 
rocks  of  the  "  Lion's  Head  "  and  the  "  Needles,"  or 
"  Candlesticks."  On  the  south  of  the  Bay  lies  the 
artificial  harbor  of  Kingstown,  the  principal  station 
for  the  yacht  clubs  in  Ireland,  where  the  yearly  re- 
gattas are  held.  All  the  way  between  Kingstown 
and  Dublin,  the  country  is  beautifully  cultivated,  and 
displays  a  constant  succession  of  terraces,  villas, 
wooded  parks  and  country-houses,  with  the  Dublin 
mountains  for  a  background. 

"  Dublin's  attraction  must  be  due  partly  to  its 
wholesome  sea  air  and  its  delightful  surroundings; 
for  it  is  planted  on  one  of  the  most  admirable  bays 
and  among  rising  fields  behind  which  olive  hills  un- 
dulate. These  first  catch  your  eye  when  you  enter 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

the  bay;  they  begin  with  the  long  headland  of 
Howth,  thence  wind  inland  and  come  back  to  the 
sea  at  Killiney,  and  thence  wander  close  to  it.  !N"o 
town  was  ever  more  fortunately  placed,  or  more  con- 
stantly dogged  by  misfortune.  You  feel  this  at 
once :  for  from  the  first  you  are  aware  of  Celtic  res- 
ignation to  sorrow.  Dublin  was  first  called  (it  is 
said)  Bally ath-Cliath,  the  Castle  at  the  Ford  of  the 
Hurdles,  and  then  Dubh-linn,  the  Black  Stream, 
from  its  dark  river ;  and  it  preserved  this  Celtic  title 
throughout  the  long  control  of  the  Danes,  though 
elsewhere,  as  in  Wexford  or  Waterford,  they  named 
their  strong  towns.  In  the  same  way,  despite  the 
longer  domination  of  England,  it  remains  Celtic. 

"  In  the  heart  of  the  quiet  city  you  come  on  a  huge 
solid  tower ;  this  is  all  that  is  left  of  the  Castle,  the 
fortress  that  loomed  over  Ireland.  In  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's time  it  shadowed  the  life  of  the  furthest  clans ; 
there  was  no  chief,  however  remote  his  country 
might  be,  who  did  not  dread  it  as  a  probable  dun- 
geon, and  reflect  that  his  head  might  blacken  above 
it,  spiked  on  its  roof.  Shane  the  Proud's  head  rotted 
there,  food  for  the  crows.  Within  its  walls  many 
were  tortured,  and  even  its  rulers,  the  Deputies,  were 
acquainted  with  suffering;  Kildare  and  Perrot  and 
Essex  and  Strafford  saw  calamity  coming,  and  from 
the  Castle  found  their  way  to  the  Tower.  Now  its 
old  strength  has  departed;  the  wide  moat  has  van- 
ished, and  so  has  one  of  the  twin  strongholds,  and 
the  other  remains  an  obsolete  hulk. 

"  If  you  are  concerned  with  the  past,  you  can  find 
296 


The  City  of  Dublin 

many  old  houses  linked  with  desperate  rebels,  or 
with  hunted  informers;  but  these  remembrances  ap- 
pear quite  as  unnatural  as  those  of  the  Castle.  Dub- 
lin looks  as  if  it  was  built  for  pleasure  and  quiet- 
ness; indeed  it  has  a  curious  resemblance  to  Paris, 
though  you  have  to  imagine  that  city  fallen  and  re- 
signed to  its  fall.  This  look  and  something  friendly 
and  homely  in  its  ways  have  combined  with  its  sur- 
roundings to  lend  it  that  peculiar  attraction."  * 

Little  is  known  of  Dublin  before  the  Danes  estab- 
lished a  kingdom  here  in  the  Ninth  Century.  The 
Danes  were  defeated  in  1014  by  Brian  Boru,  King 
of  Munster,  at  Clontarf,  where  the  chieftain  was 
mortally  wounded  and  lost  11,000  men. 

In  1170,  the  Anglo-Xormans  took  Dublin  and 
drove  away  Prince  Hasculf,  who  returned  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  with  a  fleet  of  sixty  ships.  He  was, 
however,  captured  and  put  to  death.  Two  years 
later,  Henry  II.  of  England  visited  Dublin  and  re- 
ceived homage  from  some  of  the  Irish  chieftains  out- 
side the  city  walls  in  the  place  that  is  now  College 
Green;  gave  Dublin  to  colonists  from  Bristol  by 
charter;  and  made  it  the  seat  of  government  in  Ire- 
land and  the  centre  of  the  "  English  Pale,"  by  which 
name  the  small  district  around  Drogheda  and  Dub- 
lin, over  which  the  English  Crown  had  authority, 
was  known. 

After  the  death  of  Dermod  MacMurragh,  the  de- 
posed king  of  Leinster,  in  1171,  the  succession  to  the 
Kingdom  of  Leinster  was  claimed  by  his  son-in-law, 
*  Frank  Mathew. 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Richard  FitzGislebert,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  surnamed 
"  Strongbow,"  leader  of  the  Anglo-Normans.  Strong- 
bow  died  in  Dublin  in  1177  and  was  buried  in 
Christchurch. 

Dublin  was  now  a  walled  town  protected  by  the 
fine  Castle.  The  enclosure  with  its  gates  and  towers 
ran  from  Ship  Street  to  Werburgh  Street  by  St. 
Audoen's  Arch  to  the  river,  to  Parliament  Street 
and  to  the  Castle.  Old  foundations  show  that  there 
was  a  bridge  over  the  Liffey  where  Whitworth  now 
crosses. 

Dublin  was  frequently  attacked  by  the  people  from 
Wicklow.  A  memorable  massacre  of  the  citizens 
while  merry-making  took  place  at  Cullenswood, 
called  ever  afterwards  "  Bloody  Fields,"  on  Easter, 
or  "  Black  Monday/'  1209.  The  city  also  suffered 
a  siege  by  Edward  Bruce  in  1316. 

In  1394,  Richard  II.  entered  Dublin  with  30,000 
bowmen,  4,000  cavalry,  and  the  Crown  jewels.  He 
made  a  fine  display,  conferred  knighthoods  on  sev- 
eral natives,  and  returned  to  England.  Five  years 
later,  he  paid  another  visit;  but,  while  he  was  being 
entertained  by  the  chief  magistrate,  he  was  called 
home  by  the  rising  of  Bolingbroke,  which  cost  him 
his  crown  and  life. 

Though  Dublin  submitted  to  Henry  VII.,  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Kildare,  who  was  also 
the  Viceroy  of  Henry  VIIL,  revolted  in  1534,  and 
renounced  his  allegiance  to  England  in  St.  Mary's 
Abbey.  "  Silken  Thomas,"  as  he  was  called  on  ac- 
count of  the  fantastic  ribbons  he  and  his  followers 

298 


The  City  of  Dublin 

•wore  in  their  helmets,  was  finally  captured  and  exe- 
cuted at  Tyburn  in  London. 

Dublin  had  troubles  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
was  for  some  time  successfully  defended  by  the  Mar- 
quis of  Ormonde,  who  was  defeated  at  the  Battle  of 
Rathmines  in  1649.  In  1690,  James  II.  entered 
Dublin  in  triumph ;  held  a  Parliament  at  the  King's 
Inns ;  and  established  a  mint.  His  conqueror,  Will- 
iam III.,  came  to  Dublin  after  the  Battle  of  the 
Boyne,  and  gave  thanks  for  the  victory  in  St.  Pat- 
rick's Cathedral. 

In  1798,  the  United  Irishmen,  of  whom  Lord  Ed- 
ward Fitzgerald,  a  younger  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Leinster,  was  one  of  the  leaders,  endeavored  to  cap- 
ture the  city;  but  Lord  Edward  was  captured  in- 
stead, and  died  in  prison  of  the  wounds  he  had  re- 
ceived during  the  struggle. 

In  1800,  the  separate  Irish  Parliament  came  to 
an  end.  In  1803,  the  young  lawyer,  Robert  Emmett, 
headed  an  insurrection  which  was  ended  with  loss 
of  life  and  several  executions.  During  the  out- 
break Lord  Kildare  was  pulled  out  of  his  carriage 
in  Thomas  Street  and  killed. 

In  1867,  Dublin  was  the  centre  of  the  Fenian 
troubles.  As  many  as  960  arrests  were  made  in  a 
few  hours.  The  Castle  was  fortified,  and  the  peo- 
ple lived  in  a  state  of  terror  for  several  weeks. 

The  Liffey  runs  through  Dublin  much  like  the 
Seine  through  Paris,  dividing  the  city  into  two  sec- 
tions. In  mediaeval  days,  much  of  the  land  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  was  owned  by  the  Dominican,  Au- 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

gustine  and  Cistercian  monks,  who  built  fine  abbeys 
here,  and  whose  possessions  were  seized  by  the  Crown 
on  the  suppression  of  the  monasteries.  Though  most 
of  the  ancient  churches,  including  the  two  cathedrals, 
were  built  on  the  South  side,  the  North  side  in  the 
Eighteenth  Century  was  the  fashionable  quarter  of 
the  town;  and  many  fine  buildings  and  handsome 
houses  were  erected  here.  In  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury, the  South  side  became  the  fashionable  district ; 
and  the  city  has  therefore  grown  in  this  direction. 
On  the  North,  however,  lies  Sackville  Street,  one 
of  the  handsomest  streets  in  Europe,  with  its  Nel- 
son Pillar,  134  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  statue  of 
Nelson,  erected  in  1808.  Erom  this  point  trams  run 
in  all  directions,  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  to 
the  suburbs,  parks,  and  villages  and  resorts  on  the 
coast. 

The  harbor  is  a  fine  one.  The  great  work  of  con- 
structing embankments  and  quays  was  begun  in 
1714.  Lighthouses  stand  at  the  end  of  both  the 
North  Wall  and  the  South  Wall, — those  long  granite 
quays  that  extend  into  the  Bay  of  Dublin  for  more 
than  three  miles.  At  the  end  of  the  South  Wall, 
which  begins  at  Ringsend,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Dodder,  stands  the  Pigeon  House,  once  a  custom- 
house, then  a  fort,  arsenal  and  barracks,  and  now  a 
power  station  for  electric  light.  Beyond  the  North 
Wall,  the  Bull  Wall  protects  the  harbor  from  the 
Sands  of  the  North  BulL 

The  Liffey  is  bordered  with  docks  on  both  sides 
as  far  as  the  Custom  House  on  the  North  banks  and 

300 


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The  City  of  Dublin 

the  Loop  Line  Railway  and  Butt  Bridges.  Quays, 
called  by  different  names,  continue  on  both  sides  as 
far  as  Phoenix  Park;  and  at  intervals  the  river  is 
spanned  by  handsome  bridges.  Next  to  Butt,  or  the 
Swivel  Bridge,  built  in  1878,  comes  Dublin's  finest 
bridge,  O'Connell,  built  in  1880  to  replace  the  old 
Carlisle  Bridge  of  1794.  This  connects  Westmore- 
land Street  on  the  south  side  with  Sackville  Street 
on  the  north,  and  is  of  the  same  width  as  the  latter. 
Three  rows  of  lamps  render  it  brilliant  at  night.  A 
beautiful  view  is  to  be  had  from  this  bridge  down 
the  Liffey  towards  the  Custom  House,  embracing  the 
docks  crowded  with  ships,  Sackville  Street  with  Nel- 
son's Pillar  and  the  Post  Office,  while  up  the  river 
the  glance  takes  in  the  Four  Courts,  the  towers  of 
Christchurch  and  the  lofty  tower  of  the  modern  Au- 
gustinian  Church  in  Thomas  Street.  The  next 
bridge  is  the  Wellington,  a  light  iron  bridge  of  one 
arch,  constructed  in  1816  and  also  called  the  Metal 
Bridge.  Then  comes  Grattan,  originally  the  Essex 
Bridge,  built  in  1678  and  rebuilt  in  1874.  Rich- 
mond is  the  next,  of  three  arches  made  of  Portland 
stone  and  supplied  with  an  iron  balustrade.  This 
dates  from  1816,  as  does  also  the  next,  Whitworth 
Bridge,  replacing  one  that  perished  in  the  flood  of 
1812,  known  variously  as  the  Old,  the  Ormonde  and 
the  Dublin,  and  made  by  the  Dominicans  in  1427. 
Next  comes  the  Queen's  Bridge,  of  three  arches, 
built  in  1768  to  replace  Arran  Bridge  which  per- 
ished in  a  flood;  then  the  Victoria,  or  Barracks 
Bridge,  erected  in  1859  on  the  site  of  Bloody  Bridge, 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

a  rude  stone  structure,  the  name  of  which,  according 
to  one  tradition,  was  derived  from  a  battle  in  which 
the  English  were  defeated  by  the  Irish  in  1408. 
King's  Bridge,  built  in  1821,  to  commemorate  the 
visit  of  George  IV.  to  Ireland,  crosses  near  the  Great 
Southern  and  Western  Railway  Station  near  the  en- 
trance to  Phoenix  Park.  A  railway  bridge  also 
crosses  the  river  between  King's  Bridge  and  Island 
Bridge.  The  latter  is  also  called  Sarah  Bridge,  after 
Sarah,  Countess  of  Westmoreland,  who  laid  the  first 
stone  in  1791. 

Running  along  the  steep  slopes  known  as  the 
"  Strawberry  Beds,"  the  Liffey  skirts  Phoenix  Park 
and  the  suburbs  on  the  west. 

Phoenix  Park  takes  its  name  from  Fionn  Uisg' 
(pronounced  feenisk,  and  meaning  clear  water).  It 
contains  1,752  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  be- 
longed to  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  Kilmainham, 
but  which  went  to  the  Crown  on  the  dissolution  of 
the  monasteries.  The  original  grant  was  given  by 
Charles  II.  Lord  Chesterfield  erected  the  Pillar 
surmounted  by  a  phoenix  near  the  famous  spring  of 
Fionn  Uisg',  in  1747,  and  planted  the  Park  with 
trees.  Many  of  the  splendid  elms  were  blown  down 
in  the  great  elm  avenue  during  a  storm  in  1903.  On 
the  left  of  the  chief  entrance  near  King's  Bridge 
stands  the  Wellington  Monument,  erected  in  1817, 
an  Obelisk,  205  feet  high,  with  bronze  panels  of  the 
Iron  Duke's  famous  battles.  Some  distance  west,  is 
the  Magazine  Fort,  of  which  Dean  Swift  sarcastical- 
ly wrote: 

302 


The  City  of  Dublin 

"Behold!  a  proof  of  Irish  sense; 

Here  Irish  wit  is  seen! 
When  nothing's  left  that's  worth  defence 
We  build  a  magazine ! " 

The  Park  has  fine  cricket  and  polo  grounds,  and 
reviews  are  held  in  the  space  known  as  "  Fifteen 
Acres,"  which  really  comprises  two  hundred. 

On  the  right  of  the  entrance  is  the  People's  Gar- 
den, containing  a  lake ;  and  not  far  away  are  the  bar- 
racks of  the  Royal  Irish  Constabulary  and  the  Royal 
Military  Infirmary.  Just  beyond  the  People's  Gar- 
den are  the  Zoological  Gardens,  noted  for  their  splen- 
did lions.  Further  west  is  situated  the  Viceregal 
Lodge,  the  summer  residence  of  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
of  Ireland ;  the  Mountjoy  Barracks ;  and  the  Hiber- 
nian Military  School.  It  was  opposite  the  Viceregal 
Lodge  on  the  main  road  that  Lord  Frederick  Caven- 
dish and  Mr.  Burke  were  assassinated  on  May  6, 
1882. 

Knockmaroon  Gate  leads  to  the  Strawberry  Beds 
and  the  Furry,  or  Furze  Glen,  from  which  a  charm- 
ing view  is  to  be  enjoyed. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Liffey  a  road  runs  to 
the  Kilmainham  Hospital,  the  residence  of  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Forces  in  Ireland.  The  building, 
which  is  approached  by  a  superb  avenue  of  old  trees, 
was  erected  in  1680-84  from  designs  by  Sir  Christo- 
pher Wren  at  the  instance  of  the  Duke  of  Ormonde, 
for  "  ancient,  maimed  and  infirm  officers  and  sol- 
diers." It  is  a  quadrangular  building  facing  a  court. 
The  Great  Hall  occupies  the  centre  with  a  Chapel 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

on  one  side  and  the  master's  apartment  on  the  other. 
The  Hall  (100  feet  long)  contains  a  fine  collection 
of  arms  and  armor;  and  the  Chapel  some  splendid 
carvings  by  Grinling  Gibbons,  and  a  window  pre- 
sented by  Queen  Victoria  to  commemorate  her  visit 
of  1849. 

From  this  point,  James  Street  leads  past  Swift's 
Hospital,  founded  in  1749  by  a  bequest  from  Dean 
Swift;  Steeven's  Hospital;  and  the  enormous  Guin- 
ness Brewery  which  occupies  more  than  forty  acres, 
extending  to  the  Liffey.  On  our  right  lies  the  old 
district  known  as  the  "  Liberties  of  St.  Patrick," 
once  the  centre  of  the  silk  and  poplin  factories,  a  net- 
work of  narrow,  dingy  streets,  many  of  which  have 
been  opened  up  of  late  years. 

Continuing  our  way  eastwards  along  the  south 
side,  we  come  to  Dublin  Castle  on  Cork  Hill.  Little 
of  the  original  fortress,  finished  in  1223,  remains. 
With  its  single  curtain  wall,  surmounted  by  four 
towers  and  surrounded  by  a  moat,  it  formed  a  strong 
defence.  Under  its  courtyard  the  hidden  river  Pod- 
die  flows  to  join  the  Liffey.  Since  1565,  Dublin 
Castle  has  been  the  official  seat  of  the  Irish  Govern- 
ment and  the  winter  residence  of  the  Viceroy.  The 
chief  entrance  is  from  Cork  Hill ;  and  the  Viceregal 
apartments  and  offices  are  on  the  south  side  of  the 
quadrangle.  In  the  Throne  Room  is  preserved  the 
throne  made  for  George  IV.  In  St.  Patrick's  Hall, 
the  Knights  of  St.  Patrick  are  now  invested  with 
this  Order.  On  the  walls  hang  the  arms  and  ban- 
ners of  the  Knights  of  St.  Patrick. 

304 


The  City  of  Dublin 

The  present  Chapel  was  built  in  1814  to  replace 
an  older  one,  and  contains  some  fine  windows.  The 
Record  Tower,  also  called  the  Wardrobe  Tower,  from 
the  fact  that  the  robes  were  kept  there  until  it  be- 
came, in  1579,  a  storehouse  for  state  papers,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  original  four  towers  that  remains. 
The  Birmingham  Tower,  near  the  Ship  Street  en- 
trance, was  rebuilt  in  1775  and  contains  a  fine  sup- 
per-room. It  was  in  former  days  the  State  prison. 

St.  Werburgh's  Church,  near  the  Castle,  was 
originally  the  Chapel  Royal.  The  first  edifice  was 
built  in  the  days  of  Henry  II.  In  its  vaults  Lord 
Edward  Fitzgerald  was  buried. 

Adjoining  the  Castle  on  Cork  Hill  the  Guild  of 
Merchants  erected  the  Royal  Exchange  in  1779,  a 
handsome  building  of  the  Corinthian  Order  with 
three  fronts,  porticoes  and  columns.  In  1852,  this 
became  the  property  of  Dublin  and  was  converted 
into  the  City  Hall.  All  the  royal  charters,  ancient 
books  and  the  original  grant  of  the  city  by  Henry  II. 
to  the  men  of  Bristol  are  kept  here,  as  well  as  the 
old  regalia. 

Cork  Hill  was  until  recently  a  district  of  narrow 
streets  crowded  with  houses.  These  were  cleared 
away,  and  Lord  Edward  Street,  named  for  Lord  Ed- 
ward Fitzgerald,  was  cut  through  from  Dame  Street 
in  1886.  Lord  Edward  Street  will,  therefore,  take 
us  to  Christchurch.  This,  the  Cathedral  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  was  founded  in  1038  by  Sigtryg  Silkbeard, 
King  of  the  Danes  in  Dublin,  and  Donatus,  a  Dan- 
ish Bishop.  Their  original  plan  may  be  seen  in  the 

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A  Guide  to  Cities 

Crypt ;  but  the  old  church  disappeared  when  Strong- 
bow,  Fitz-Stephen  and  Raymond  le  Gros,  with  Arch- 
bishop O'Toole,  erected  an  English  cathedral  on  the 
foundations  about  1172.  St.  Patrick's  soon  became 
a  rival  church;  but  Christchurch  kept  its  place  as 
the  mother  church  and  the  Chapel  Royal.  In  1870, 
Christchurch  was  made  the  Cathedral  of  Dublin  and 
Glendalough  while  St.  Patrick's  became  the  National 
Cathedral. 

In  1486,  the  imposter  Lambert  Simnel  was 
crowned  in  Christchurch  with  a  crown  taken  from 
a  statue  of  the  Virgin  in  St.  Mary's  Abbey;  and  in 
this  church  up  to  the  Sixteenth  Century  all  the  high 
officers  of  state  and  city  were  sworn  into  office. 
William  HI.  presented  splendid  plate  to  Christ- 
church  after  his  victories. 

Christchurch  underwent  a  complete  restoration  in 
1870.  Only  the  transepts  and  one  bay  of  the  choir 
of  Strongbow's  building  remain.  Strongbow's  tomb, 
with  its  recumbent  effigy  in  chain-armor,  is  the  most 
famous  relic  in  the  church.  The  nave,  the  floor,  the 
bapistery  and  the  chapels  are  all  restorations  of  the 
original  Gothic  work.  The  Synod  House  is  new. 
It  is  entered  by  a  covered  bridge,  and  is  built  on  the 
site  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel,  the  old  tower  of 
which  is  preserved.  Near  Christchurch  is  the  Corn 
Market,  the  last  surviving  of  the  Mediaeval  parochial 
churches  in  Dublin.  St.  Audoen  deserves  a  visit, 
though  some  of  it  is  unroofed  and  in  ruins.  The 
small  western  doorway  is  of  the  Twelfth  Century; 
but  the  rest  is  of  late  Pointed  architecture.  Sev- 

306 


The  City  of  Dublin 

eral  old  tombs  and  monuments  are  contained  in  the 
southeast  chapel.  A  gateway  stands  near  St.  Audo- 
en's  and  fragments  of  the  old  city  walls  can  be  seen 
here. 

A  short  walk  down  Nicholas  and  Patrick  Streets 
will  take  us  from  Christchurch  to  St.  Patrick's 
Cathedral,  the  "  Westminster  Abbey  of  Ireland." 
In  1190,  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin  adopted  the  old- 
Celtic  church  of  St.  Patrick  de  Insula  for  a  Collegi- 
ate church  to  supersede  the  more  ancient  Christ- 
church.  His  successor,  Henry  de  Loundes,  raised  it 
to  the  dignity  of  a  cathedral  in  1212.  St.  Patrick's 
had  always  been  venerated  on  account  of  its  holy 
well  at  which  baptisms  took  place.  The  site  of  St. 
Patrick's  Well  was  determined  in  1901  by  the  dis- 
covery of  an  ancient  Celtic  cross  at  the  base  of  the 
first  pillar  in  the  south  transept. 

Within  its  walls,  or  "  liberty,"  and  the  adjoining 
"  liberty  "  of  St.  Sepulchre,  the  Archbishops  of  Dub- 
lin practically  ruled.  All  the  old  manses  and  fortifi- 
cations have  now  disappeared. 

Though  much  of  St.  Patrick's  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  some  portions  are  still  very  old  and  date  from 
the  Thirteenth  Century.  St.  Patrick's  was  repaired 
and  restored  in  1866-1869  by  Sir  Benjamin  Lee 
Guiness  at  a  cost  of  £150,000  ($750,000)  ;  and  his 
sons,  Lord  Iveagh  and  Lord  Ardilaun,  have  given 
great  sums  of  late  years  for  its  maintenance. 

St.  Patrick's  is  very  large — 300  feet  long — built 
in  the  form  of  a  cross  with  a  nave  and  eight  bays, 
and  a  Lady  Chapel.  In  the  Chapter  House,  the 

307 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

Knights  of  St.  Patrick,  which  Order  was  founded 
in  1783,  were  installed  up  to  1869.  St.  Patrick's 
contains  many  fine  monuments  and  brasses ;  and  the 
tombs  of  Dean  Swift  and  Stella,  who  are  buried  side 
by  side  in  the  south  side  of  the  nave.  There  are  two 
peals  of  bells:  one,  of  four,  dates  from  1670;  the 
other,  of  ten,  was  presented  to  the  Cathedral  by  Lord 
Iveagh  in  1897.  The  latter  also  had  a  portion  of 
the  slums  cleared  away  to  make  St.  Patrick's  Park, 
and  also  gave  Iveagh  House  in  the  vicinity  to  the 
people. 

Dame  Street  and  Westmoreland  Street  meet  at 
College  Green ;  and  from  this  point  the  public  build- 
ings make  a  splendid  show.  Here  we  have  the  Bank 
of  Ireland,  and  Trinity  College  with  its  numerous 
halls  and  towers;  while  down  Grafton  Street,  a 
fashionable  thoroughfare  ending  at  St.  Stephen's 
Green,  other  buildings  appear.  Between  Grafton 
Street  and  Merrion  Square  are  grouped  a  number  of 
museums,  art-galleries  and  the  homes  of  various 
artistic,  literary  and  scientific  societies. 

The  Bank  of  Ireland  is  a  magnificent  building. 
It  was  originally  the  Irish  House  of  Parliament,  and 
was  begun  in  1729.  Over  the  principal  portico  are 
the  Royal  Arms  and  statues  of  Hibernia  with  Fidel- 
ity and  Commerce  on  either  side.  An  open  colon- 
nade extends  on  each  side  to  the  wings.  The  east 
front  facing  College  Street  was  built  by  James  Gan- 
don  in  1785,  for  the  entrance  to  the  House  of  Lords. 
The  statues  over  the  entrance  are  Fortitude,  Justice 
and  Liberty.  The  House  of  Commons  was  destroyed 

308 


The  City  of  Dublin 

by  a  fire  in  1792  and  rebuilt.  In  the  old  House  of 
Lords,  a  statue  of  George  III.  occupies  the  place  of 
the  throne,  and  there  are  two  large  pieces  of  tapestry 
dating  from  1733  and  depicting  the  Battle  of  the 
Boyne  and  the  Siege  of  Derry. 

Trinity  College,  founded  in  1591,  consists  of  a 
noble  pile  of  buildings  of  granite  and  limestone  in 
the  Greek  style  of  architecture  beautifully  grouped 
in  a  fine  park  of  twenty-eight  acres.  The  principal 
facade  (300  feet  long)  faces  College  Green.  A 
splendid  hall,  called  the  Regent's  House,  a  beautiful 
Chapel,  a  Theatre,  and  a  Dining-hall,  situated  in  the 
quadrangle,  Parliament  Square,  were  erected  by  the 
generosity  of  the  Irish  Parliament  in  the  Eighteenth 
Century.  In  the  centre  of  the  square,  a  Campanile 
'(100  feet  high)  was  built  in  1852. 

The  Library  (270  feet  long)  stands  in  Library 
Square  and  consists  of  a  valuable  collection  of  an- 
cient MSS.,  among  which  is  the  Book  of  Kells,  "  the 
most  beautiful  book  in  the  world."  This  Library 
was  founded  in  1601  to  commemorate  the  Battle  of 
Kinsale,  the  soldiers  subscribing  seven  hundred 
pounds  "  out  of  the  arrears  of  their  pay."  Trinity 
College  Library  has  a  free  copy  of  every  book  pub- 
lished in  Great  Britain,  according  to  the  Library  Act 
of  1801.  Among  other  treasures,  the  Library  con- 
tains an  old  Irish  Harp,  said  to  have  belonged  to 
Brian  Boru. 

The  Schools,  built  in  1856,  consisting  of  lecture 
rooms,  halls,  museums,  etc.,  is  also  a  fine  edifice. 
College  Park  and  Fellows'  Gardens  are  of  great  ex- 

309 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

tent  The  latter  contains  an  old  well  that  has  been 
called  "  St.  Patrick's  Well "  for  hundreds  of  years. 
All  of  this  land  originally  belonged  to  the  Augustine 
Monastery  of  All  Hallows,  founded  here  in  1166. 

St.  Stephen's  Green,  of  twenty-two  acres,  beauti- 
fully laid  out  with  walks,  shrubbery,  cascades  and 
lakes,  was  opened  as  a  public  park  in  1880  through 
the  generous  gift  of  Lord  Ardilaun.  An  equestrian 
statue  of  George  II.  ornaments  the  centre.  In  the 
Eighteenth  Century  the  Square  was  chiefly  residen- 
tial; but  business  has  now  taken  possession  of  the 
west  and  north  sides.  On  the  west  side,  we  find  the 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  erected  by  the  Govern- 
ment in  1806,  at  a  cost  of  £25,000.  Its  pediment 
is  surmounted  by  statues  of  Minerva,  Esculapius  and 
Hygeia.  The  College  comprises  schools,  a  library, 
hall  and  a  museum. 

On  the  north  side  of  St.  Stephen's  Green  are  vari- 
ous Clubs  and  the  Palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin; on  the  east  side,  the  Royal  College  of  Science; 
and  south  of  St.  Stephen's  are  the  Catholic  Univer- 
sity College  and  the  Royal  University. 

Passing  down  Kildare  Street  that  leads  from  the 
north  side  of  St.  Stephen's  Green,  we  come  to  Lein- 
ster  House,  built  in  1745,  the  former  residence  of 
the  Duke  of  Leinster  in  grounds  that  extend  to  Mer- 
rion  Square.  Since  1815  it  has  been  the  home  of  the 
Royal  Dublin  Society. 

Here  are  also  situated  the  Science  and  Art  Mu- 
seum and  National  Library — two  buildings  of  simi- 
lar style  dating  from  1890.  The  collection  of  Irish 

310 


The  City  of  Dublin 

'Antiquities  and  examples  of  Early  Christian  Art  are 
among  the  finest  in  Europe.  Here  are  the  splendid 
processional  cross  of  Cong  made  by  order  of  Tur- 
loch  O'Connor  in  1123  ;  the  silver  chalice  of  Ardagh, 
ornamented  with  gold  filigree  work  and  enamelled 
beads;  and  St.  Patrick's  bell,  supposed  to  have  be- 
longed to  St.  Patrick  himself. 

Adjoining  the  National  Library  is  the  National 
Gallery,  facing  a  pretty  park  called  Leinster  Lawn, 
in  which  a  few  statues  are  scattered.  This  was 
opened  in  1864,  and  contains  many  fine  pictures  by 
old  and  modern  masters. 

A  few  yards  north  of  St.  Stephen's  Green,  we  find 
the  Mansion  House,  the  residence  of  the  Lord  Mayor 
since  1715.  The  Kound  Room,  90  feet  in  diameter 
and  lighted  by  a  lantern  at  the  top,  was  built  to 
entertain  George  IV.  in  1821.  The  Oak  Room  is 
noted  for  its  panelling. 

Having  now  seen  the  principal  sights  of  the  South 
side,  we  will  cross  O'Connell  Bridge  to  the  North 
side. 

The  Custom  House  on  Eden  Quay  not  far  from 
O'Connell  Bridge  is  the  finest  building  in  Dublin, 
as  far  as  the  exterior  is  concerned.  The  south  side 
facing  the  river  is  the  handsomest  of  the  four  deco- 
rated facades.  This  has  a  central  Doric  portico  of 
four  columns  supporting  an  entablature  on  which 
England  and  Ireland  are  seated  on  a  shell  drawn  by 
sea  horses,  while  Neptune  is  vanquishing  Famine 
and  Despair.  On  either  side  of  the  portico  extend 
wings  with  open  arcades.  The  interior  consists  of 

311 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

two  courts  and  an  impressive  mass  of  buildings  sur- 
mounted by  a  dome  on  which,  stands  a  figure  of  Hope 
resting  on  an  anchor.  The  Custom  House  is  sur- 
rounded by  an  open  space.  Since  all  the  customs 
were  concentrated  in  London,  this  building  has  been 
used  for  various  Government  offices. 

Sackville  Street,  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  broad 
and  about  seven  hundred  feet  long,  is  one  of  the 
handsomest  streets  in  Europe.  In  the  centre  stands 
the  Nelson  Pillar;  and  on  the  west  side  the  large 
Post  Office,  a  granite  building  completed  in  1818 
with  a  portico  80  feet  wide  ornamented  with  six 
fluted  columns  and  a  pediment  with  the  Royal  Arms 
and  statue  of  Hibernia,  Mercury  and  Fidelity.  At 
the  top  of  the  street  the  Rotunda  stands  facing  Rut- 
land Square.  This  building  takes  its  name  from  a 
round  room  80  feet  in  diameter,  and  contains  other 
rooms  that  are  used  for  public  entertainments. 
Near  it,  on  Great  Britain  Street,  stands  the  hand- 
some Rotunda  Hospital,  the  chapel  of  which  is  or- 
namented with  a  most  elaborate  ceiling  of  Italian 
stucco-work  of  the  Eighteenth  Century. 

Westwards  from  the  Rotunda  and  across  Domin- 
ick  Street  stands  the  King's  Inn  on  Henrietta  Street 
facing  Constitution  Hill.  This  handsome  building, 
with  a  central  edifice  surmounted  by  a  cupola  and 
flanked  by  wings  of  two  stories  each,  was  designed  by 
Gandon  and  erected  in  1765.  The  Dining  Hall  and 
Library  are  beautifully  ornamented  rooms.  The 
title  of  King's  Inn  was  bestowed  on  Preston's  Inn 
(the  only  inn  of  court  in  Dublin)  when  Henry  VIII. 

312 


The  City  of  Dublin 

received  the  title  "  King  of  Ireland  "  in  1541 ;  and 
the  confiscated  Dominican  Monastery  of  St.  Saviour, 
founded  in  1224  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Liffey 
where  the  Four  Courts  now  stands,  was  bestowed 
upon  the  society.  The  Four  Courts  now  occupies 
the  whole  of  King's  Inn  Quay  between  the  Rich- 
mond and  Whitworth  bridges,  consists  of  a  main 
building,  built  in  1786-1800  by  Thomas  Cooley  and 
James  Gandon,  and  several  minor  courts  and  offices 
in  the  rear.  It  is  a  very  handsome  structure  with 
a  frontage  of  450  feet,  and  having  a  central  portico 
of  six  Corinthian  Columns  surmounted  by  a  statue 
of  Moses  accompanied  by  Justice  and  Mercy.  The 
dome  that  surmounts  the  central  division  is  64  feet 
in  diameter. 

There  are  a  few  interesting  churches  on  this  side 
of  the  river.  Behind  the  Four  Courts  stands  St. 
Michan's,  the  foundation  of  which  dates  from  1095. 
The  present  church  is  a  restoration  of  a  Seventeenth 
Century  building;  but  the  handsome  tower  is  earlier. 
A  much  handsomer  church  is  that  of  St.  George, 
near  Mont  joy  Square  in  the  northernmost  part  of 
the  city,  erected  in  1802,  which  has  a  lofty  tower 
and  steeple  of  200  feet,  and  a  portico  with  four 
fluted  columns. 

The  Church  of  St.  Saviours  in  Dominick  Street, 
built  in  1858,  is  a  good  example  of  modern  Gothic 
architecture. 

On  the  north  bank  there  remains  a  fragment  of  St. 
Mary's  Abbey,  where  "  Silken  Thomas  "  renounced 
his  allegiance  to  England  in  1534,  a  vaulted  build- 

313 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

ing  of  four  bays  now  occupied  as  a  store.  It  was 
originally  a  Benedictine  monastery,  and  then  became 
the  great  Cistercian  Abbey.  It  occupied  a  large  tract 
of  land  on  the  Liffey. 

In  comparison  with  most  European  capitals,  Dub- 
lin shows  little  life  or  brilliancy. 

"  The  first  thing  you  notice  is  its  depopulated 
look;  its  wide  streets  are  so  empty  and  so  many  of 
its  big  houses  seem  quite  deserted  that  one  could  im- 
agine that  one  was  visiting  a  city  abandoned  by  most 
of  its  inmates.  Xor  is  this  notion  transitory;  for 
when  you  explore  outlying  streets  tenanted  by  the 
poorest,  you  find  in  them  houses  that  must  once  have 
been  splendid.  Here  you  might  think  is  a  city  that 
was  affluent  once  and  has  for  some  reason  declined. 
You  are  not  told  of  a  tragical  past,  but  of  a  former 
wealth. 

"  Beyond  doubt,  Dublin  was  more  prosperous 
once  and  more  animated;  but  it  never  was  rich. 
What  about  the  merry  old  times  when  it  boasted  a 
Parliament?  Tradition  has  glorified  these,  and  it 
must  be  allowed  that  contemporary  letters  and  news- 
papers tell  of  rejoicings  then  held  in  those  desolate 
homes;  but  if  you  enquire  closer,  you  find  how  un- 
substantial those  pageants  were.  Many  of  them  were 
the  insensate  displays  of  a  bankrupt  magnificence: 
there  were  hours  when  the  grey  city  was  lit  by  the 
brief  splendour  of  prodigals;  but  around  that  illu- 
sive light  there  was  poverty,  within  sound  of  those 
irrational  feasts  there  was  starvation."  * 
*  Frank  Mathew. 
314 


The  City  of  Dublin 

From  Kelson's  Pillar,  trams  run  every  few  min- 
utes to  the  suburbs  on  the  south  and  north.  The 
southern  environs  are  very  delightful.  Harold's 
Cross,  an  old  village,  is  the  nearest;  Rathmines,  an- 
other village,  two  miles  away,  is  famous  for  the 
"  Bloody  Fields,"  where  the  early  English  colonists 
of  Dublin  were  slaughtered  by  the  Irish  of  Wicklow 
on  Easter  Monday,  1209.  Here  also  the  Koyalist 
troops  under  the  Duke  of  Ormonde  were  defeated  in 
1649  by  Cromwell's  forces.  Further  south  lies 
Kathfarnham,  where  there  is  an  old  castle  built  in 
Queen  Elizabeth's  time;  and  still  further  we  find 
the  fashionable  suburb  of  Dundrum.  Everybody 
has  heard  of  the  boisterous  Donnybrook  Fair  at 
which  the  pugnacious  Irishman  was  ready  to  hit  any 
head  on  general  principles.  The  old  town  of  Donny- 
brook lies  about  two  miles  and  a  half  away  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  Dodder  that  flows  into  the  Liffey 
from  the  south.  The  Fair  that  was  licensed  in  1204 
was  not  abolished  until  1855. 

Sandymount  is  also  reached  by  tram  and  lies  on 
the  coast.  A  pretty  walk  can  be  taken  south  to 
Merrion  along  the  Rock  Road,  or  north  to  Irishtown 
and  thence  back  to  Dublin  by  way  of  the  South  Wall 
and  the  Pigeon  House. 

Turning  now  to  the  northern  suburbs  Clontarf 
'(meadow  of  the  bulls)  is  a  charming  spot,  to  which 
trams  run  every  few  minutes  from  Nelson's  Pillar, 
where  the  battle  was  fought  between  the  Danes  and 
the  Irish  under  Brian  Boru.  A  beautiful  mansion, 
built  in  1835,  stands  on  the  site  of  Clontarf  Castle, 

315 


A  Guide  to  Cities 

one  of  the  oldest  castles  within  the  English  Pale, 
and  which  belonged  originally  to  the  Knights  Temp- 
lars. 

Beyond,  Dollymount,  with  its  noted  Golf  Links, 
is  situated  near  the  Bull  Wall  and  Pier  which  pro- 
tects the  harbor  of  Dublin  from  the  sands  of  the 
North  Bull. 

Two  miles  north  from  Nelson's  Pillar  lies  Glas- 
nevin  (JSTaeidhen's  Brook),  and  between  it  and  Fing- 
las  (clear  stream),  two  miles  farther  to  the  west,  are 
situated  the  Botanic  Gardens,  established  in  1790 
and  consisting  of  about  forty  acres.  The  palms, 
orchids  and  ferns  are  particularly  remarkable.  This 
was  the  home  of  the  poet  Tickell ;  and  in  the  vicinity 
also  resided  Swift,  Addison,  Steele,  Delaney  and 
Parnell.  The  avenue  of  yew  trees  is  still  called 
"Addison's  Walk."  At  Finglas  there  is  an  old 
Cross  and  an  old  church.  William  III.  and  his  army 
rested  here  after  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne.  In  early 
times,  Finglas  was  the  place  for  the  May  games, 
which  were  ended  in  1843. 


316 


INDEX 


AMSTERDAM,  124-159. 

Amstel  Vesten,  131. 

Binnen-Amstel,  The,  151. 

Botanic  Gardens,  157. 

Buitenkant,  The,  150. 

Criers'  Tower,  The,  150. 

Custom  House.  See  Tol- 
huis. 

Dam,  The,  129,  142,  147. 

Damrak,  The,  140. 

Damrak   Straat,    146. 

Docks,  The,  149-150. 

East  Park,  157. 

Exchange,  The  New,  146, 
149. 

Exchange,  The  Old,  142, 
149. 

Haarlemmer  Meer,  or  Haar- 
lem Meer,  125. 

Haarlemmer  Polder,  125. 

Heerengracht,  The,  128,  143. 

Hollandisch  Diep,  126. 

Jewish  Quarter,  151. 

Jodenbrfie  Straat,  152. 

Kalver  Straat,  146. 

Keisersgracht,  The,  128, 143. 

Merwede  Canal,  The,  130. 

Mint  Tower,  The,  151. 

Montalbaans,   150. 


Nieuwe  Kerk,  The,  147-148. 
Nieuwe    Markt,    The,    136, 

150. 

North  Holland  Canal,  130. 
Open  Haven,  The,  150. 
Oude  Kerk,  The,  142,  146- 

147. 

Oude  Schans,  150,  151. 
Palace    on    the   Dam,   The, 

129,  147,  149,  154. 
Paulus  Potter  Straat,  157. 
Prinsengracht,  128. 
Prins-Hendrik-Kade,  150. 
Kembrandt's    House,     151- 

152. 
Ryks    Museum,    The,    129, 

154-157. 

Sarphati  Park,  157. 
Schellingwoude,  130. 
Schreyerstoren,  The,  150. 
Singelgracht,  The,  128,  129, 

143,  155. 
St.  Antonieswaag,  136,  150- 

151. 

Stadhouders  Kade,   154. 
Stadthuis,    The,    141.      See 

Town  Hall. 
Stedelyk  Museum,  The,  129, 

157. 


317 


Index 


Synagogues,  151. 
Tea  Gardens,  158. 
Tolhuis,  The,  130,  158. 
Town  Hall,  148-149. 
Trippenhuis,  The,  151,  154. 
Venice  of  the  North,  The, 

129,  142. 

Vondel's  Park,  157. 
Warmoes  Straat,  146,  147. 
Weepers'  Tower,  The,  150. 
West  Park,  157. 
Willems-Park,  157. 
Willems-Sluis,  130. 
Y,  The,  128,  129,  130,  158. 
Zwanenburger-Straat,  152. 
Zoological  Gardens,  158. 

ANTWERP,  63-98. 
Avenues,  The,  80,  91. 
Bassins,  The,  73. 
Bells  of  Cathedral,  80-82. 
Berchem,  92. 
Borgerhout,  92. 
Borgerhout  Gate,  69. 
Borgt,    The,    63,    74.      See 

Steen. 

Boucherie,  79,  94. 
Bourse.    See  Exchange. 
Canal  au  Sucre,  67. 
Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame, 

80-85. 

Docks,  The,  73-74. 
Eglise  St.  Jacques.    See  St. 

James's. 

Exchange,  The,  66,  88,  142. 
Gate  of  the  Scheldt,  73. 
Grand     Bassin,     The,     73, 

91. 

Grand'  Place,  67,  77,  79. 
Hotel  de  Ville,  67,  78-79. 


House  of  Rubens's  Parents, 
86. 

Maison  Hanseatique,  The, 
73. 

Marche"  aux  Gants,  77,  80. 

Marche"  aux  Souliers,  87. 

Marche"  du  Vendredi,  96. 

Meat  Market,  The,  79. 

MusSe  Royal  des  Beaux- 
Arts,  92-94. 

Palais  Royal,  87. 

Palais  du  Roi.  See  Palais 
Royal. 

Park,  The,  91. 

Pepinidre,  The,  91. 

Place  de  Meir,  86,  87,  88, 
91. 

Place  Verte,  81,  85,  86,  87. 

Plan  tin  Museum,  96-98. 

Rubens's  Chapel,  90. 

Rue  des  Douze  Mois,  88. 

Rue  Rubens,  86. 

Scheldt,  The,  72,  73,  80,  82. 

Statues,  85,  87. 

St.  James's,  89-91. 

St.  Laurent,  92. 

St.  Paul's,  91-95. 

Steen,  The,  74-76. 

Steen  Dock,  The,  74. 

Vlaamisch  Hoofd,  80. 

Zoological  Gardens,  92. 

CHRISTIANIA,  250-269. 
Aker,  The,  256,  261. 
Akerhus,  250,  251,  252,  256, 

262. 

Akers  Church,  262-263. 
Akersdal,  250. 
Akerselven,  256. 
Akers  Gaden,  261,  262. 


318 


Incta 


Bispe  Gaarden.     See  Bish- 
op's Palace. 
Bishop's  Palace,  The,  264- 

265. 

BjSrviken,  250,  256. 
Bygdey.     See  BygdS. 
Bygdb",  266-267. 
Carl  Johan's  Gade,  257, 258, 

260,  261. 
Christiania  Fjord,  250,  251- 

252,  255,  259,  266,  269. 
Church  of  St.  Olaf,  262. 
Custom  House,  256. 
Drammens  Veien,  258. 
Eidsvolds  Plads,  260,  261. 
Ekeburg,  252,  265. 
Folden  Fjord,  252. 
Frogner,  The,  258. 
Frogner  Saeter,  268-269. 
Gamle    Akers    Kirke.      See 

Akers  Church. 
Graensen,  261,  262. 
Gronland,  256. 
Hammersborg,  256. 
Holmen  Kollen,  268. 
Houses  of  Parliament.    See 

Stor  th  i  ngsbygningen. 
Hovedo,  266. 
King's     Road,     The.       See 

Kongs  Veien. 
Kongs  Veien,  265. 
Kyles  of  Bestum,  266. 
Kyles  of  Frogner,  The,  258, 

266. 

Lade  Gaard,  264. 
Ladegaardso,  255. 
Lade  Gaardsoen,  266. 
Mariakirken,  The,  252. 
Museums,  The,  257,  258. 
National  Theatre,  The,  261. 


Nordmarken,  269. 

Norwegian  National  Muse- 
um, 267. 

Oscar's  Hall,  251,  256,  267. 

Oslo,  252-253,  264. 

Oslo  Asylum,  265. 

Oslo  Church,  265. 

Oslo  Gade,  264. 

Our  Saviour's  Church.  Sec 
Vor  Frelsers  Kirke,  261. 

Piperviken,  250,  254,  256. 

Royal  Palace,  257. 

Sagbakken,  256. 

St.  Halvards  Plads,  264. 

St.  Hanshaugen,'263. 

St.  John's  Hill.  See  St. 
Hanshaugen. 

St.  Olafskirke,  262. 

Skipper  Gade,  254. 

Stor  Gaden,  261. 

Stor  thi  ngsbygningen,  The, 
257,  260-261. 

Stortorvet,  261. 

Svinesund,  262. 

Torvet.     See  Stortorvet. 

Trefoldinghedskirke,  262. 

Trinity  Church.  See  Tre- 
foldinghedskirke. 

University,  The,  258,  259. 

Vaterland,  254,  256. 

Victoria  Terrace,  258. 

Vor  Frelsers  Gravlund,  262. 

COPENHAGEN,  187-221. 
Amager,  Island  of,  199,  200. 
Amagertorv,  208,  209. 
Amak,  199.     See  Amager. 
Amalie-Gade,  202.          v 
Amalienborg,  Palace  of,  199, 
201,  202. 


319 


Index 


Amalienborg-Plads,  200-201. 
Arsenal,  The,  215,  219. 
Art  Museum,  217. 
Axel-huus,  187. 
Bredgade,  200,  201,  202. 
Charlottenborg,  200. 
Christiansborg  Palace,  187, 

215. 

Christianshavn,  199,  218. 
Church  of  Our  Lady,  210. 
Church    of     Our     Saviour, 

218. 

Copenhagen  Hill,  214,  221. 
Custom  House,  The,  199. 
Deer  Park.    See  Dyrehaven. 
Dyrehaven,  198. 
Elsinore,  192,  197. 
Esplanade,  The,  202. 
Exchange,    The,    215,    219, 

220. 

Folkemuseum,  218. 
Frederiksberg,  213. 
Frederiksberg  Alice,  213. 
Frederiksberg,     Castle     of, 

195,  214. 
Frederikshavn,    Citadel    of, 

202. 

Frederiksberg  Have,  213. 
Frederiksberg     Park,     214, 

221. 

Frederick  Church,  199,  201. 
Free  Port,  The,  203. 
Frue  Kirke,  209,  210. 
Gammel  Strand,  199. 
Gammeltorv,  209,  210. 
Glyptothek,  The  Old,  214. 
Gothers-Gade,  204. 
Hermitage,  The,  196,  198. 
Hesten,  The,  200. 
H6jbro  Plads,  208,  209,  220. 

320 


Holmen's  Kanal,  215,  220. 
Holmen's  Kirche,  215. 
Houses  of  Parliament,  201. 
Hveen,  196,  198,  203. 
Industrial     Art     Museum, 

213,  218. 

Kalvebodstrand,  199. 
Kastel,  The,  202. 
Kjobmager  Gade,  210. 
Kjobmannshavn,  187. 
Klampenborg,  198. 
Knippelsbro,  199,  218. 
Kongens  Nytorv,  200,  204, 

208,  215. 
Kronborg,    Castle   of,    193- 

196,  197,  217. 
Kullen,  196. 
Langebro,   199. 
Langelinie,    199,    202,    203, 

221. 

Marble  Church,  196. 
Marienlyst,  Park  of,  196. 
National  Museum,  216-217. 
Norrevolgade,  207. 
Norrebro,  208. 
Ny-Carlsberg      Glyptothek, 

213,  214. 

Nyhavn  Kanal,  200. 
Nytorv,  209. 
Orated  Park,  207. 
Oster  Gade,  208. 
Ostervolds-Gade,  207. 
Palace  Bridge,  215. 
Prince's  Palace,  216. 
Queen  Louise's  Bridge,  208. 
Raadlmis-Plads,    208,    210, 

213. 

Rosenberg,  219. 
Rosenberg    Castle,    or   Pair 

ace  of,  204-205. 


Index 


Round  Tower,  219. 

Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain 

Manufactory,  218. 
Royal  Library,  215. 
Royal  Palace.  See  Amalien- 

borg. 

Rungsted,  197. 
Skodsborg,  196,  197,  198. 
blotsholmen,  199,  208,  215, 

218. 
SSndermarken,     The,     213, 

214. 
Sound,  The,    192,    196-198, 

203,  206. 

St.  Annse  Plads,  202. 
Straw  Market,  213. 
Strb'get,   or   Strogtid,   208- 

209. 

Surgeons'  Hall,  201. 
Taarbsek,  198. 
Thorvaldsen  Museum,  215- 

216. 

Tivoli,  211-213. 
Toldbod,  199. 
Town  Hall,  New,  213. 
Town  Hall,  Old,  209. 
Trekoner,  198. 
Vesbjek,  197. 
Vesterbro,  199. 
Vesterbro  Gade,  213. 
Veaterbro  Passage,  213. 
Vimmelskaftet,  209. 
Vor  Frelsers  Kirke,  218. 
Zealand,  196,  197. 
Zoological  Gardens,  214. 

DUBLIN,  295-316. 
Addison's  Walk,  316. 
Arran  Bridge,  301. 
Bailey  Lighthouse,  295. 


Bank  of  Ireland,  308. 

Barracks  Bridge,  301. 

Bay  of  Dublin,  295,  300. 

Bloody  Bridge,  301. 

Botanic  Gardens,  316. 

Bull  Wall,  300,  316. 

Butt  Bridge,  301. 

Candlesticks,  The,  295. 

Carlisle  Bridge,  301. 

Cathedral  of  Dublin,  306. 

Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity, 305. 

Christ  Church,  301,  305, 
306. 

Church  of  St.  Saviours, 
313. 

City  Hall,  305. 

Clontarf,  315. 

Clontarf  Castle,  315. 

College  Green,  308. 

Constitution  Hill,  312. 

Cork  Hill,  304,  305. 

Cullenswood,  298. 

Custom  House,  300,  301, 
311-312. 

Dodder,  The,  300,  315. 

Dollymount,  316. 

Donnybrook,  315. 

Dublin  Castle,  298,  304- 
305. 

Dundrum,  315. 

Eden  Quay,  311. 

Essex  Bridge,  301. 

Finglas,  316. 

Four  Courts,  The,  301,  313. 

Furze  Glen,  303. 

Glasnevin,  316. 

Grafton  Street,  308. 

Grattan  Bridge,  301. 

Harold's  Cross,  315. 


321 


Index 


House  of  Parliament,  308- 

309. 

Howth,  295,  296. 
Island  Bridge,  302. 
James  Street,  304. 
Kilmainham  Hospital,  303- 

304. 

King's  Bridge,  302. 
Bang's  Inn,  312. 
Bang's  Inn  Quay,  312. 
Kingstown,  295. 
Knockmaroon  Gate,  303. 
Leinster  House,  316. 
Leinster  Lawn,  311. 
Liberties    of    St.    Patrick, 

The,  304. 
Liffey,  The,  295,  298,  299, 

301,  302,  303,   304,   313, 

314,  315. 

Lion's  Head,  295. 

Magazine  Fort,  302. 

Mansion  House,  311. 

Merrion,  315. 

Merrion  Square,  308. 

Metal  Bridge.    See  Welling- 
ton. 

National  Library,  310,  311. 
Needles,  The,  295. 
Nelson's    Pillar,    300,    301, 

315,  316. 

North  Bull,  300,  316. 
North  Wall,  300. 
O'Connell  Bridge,  301,  311. 
Old  Bridge,  301. 
Ormonde  Bridge,  301. 
People's  Garden,  303. 
Phoenix  Park,  301,  302-303. 
Pigeon  House,  300,  315. 
Poddle  River,  304. 
Post  Office,  301,  312. 


Preston's  Inn,  312. 
Queen's  Bridge,  301. 
Rathmines,  315. 
Richmond  Bridge,  301,  313. 
Ringsend,  300. 
Rock  Road,  The,  315. 
Rotunda,  312. 
Rotunda  Hospital,  312. 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons, 

310. 

Royal  Exchange,  305. 
Rutland  Square,  312. 
Sackville  Street,   300,  301, 

312. 

Sarah  Bridge,  302,  303. 
Science   and   Art   Museum, 

310. 

St.  George's  Church,  313. 
St.  Mary's  Abbey,  298,  313- 

314. 

St.  Michan's,  313. 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  306, 

307-308. 

St.  Patrick's  Hall,  304. 
St.  Patrick's  Well,  307, 310. 
St.    Stephen's    Green,    308, 

309. 

Steeven'a  Hospital,  304. 
South  Wall,  300,  315. 
Strawberry  Banks,  302,  303. 
Swift's  Hospital,  304. 
Swivel    Bridge.      See    Butt 

Bridge. 

Trinity  College,  308,  309. 
Trinity     College     Library, 

309. 

Viceregal  Lodge,  303. 
Victoria  Bridge,  301. 
Wellington  Bridge,  301. 
Wellington  Monument,  302. 


322 


Index 


Westminster  Abbey  of  Ire- 
land, The,  307. 

Westmoreland  Street,  301. 

Whitworth  Bridge,  298, 
301,  313. 

Zoological  Gardens,  303. 

EDINBURGH,  270-294. 
Arsenal,  The,  281. 
Arthur's  Seat,  291,  293. 
Calton  Hill,  278,  280,  292. 
Candlemakers'  Row,  282. 
Canongate,  The,   272,   273, 

281,  289. 

Castle  Hill,  275,  281,  282. 
Castle  Rock,  The,  272,  278. 
Cowgate,  The,  273,  278. 
Cross,    Canongate    Church, 

289. 

Cross,  Old  City,  287,  288. 
Dean  Bridge,  278. 
Edinburgh  Castle,  272,  275, 

276,  278,  279-281. 
George  the  Fourth's  Bridge, 

278. 
Grassmarket,  The,  276,  281, 

282,  283. 
Greenside,  293. 
Greyfriars'    Church,    New, 

282,  283. 
Greyfriars'     Church,     Old, 

273,  282,  283. 
Half-Moon  Battery,  280. 
Heart  of  Midlothian,  285. 
Heriot's  Hospital,  273,  276, 

283-284. 

High  Street,  281,  284,  289. 
Holyrood,    Abbey    of,    272, 

290. 
Holyrood  Chapel,  290,  291. 


Holyrood  Palace,  277,  290, 

291. 

King's  Park,  291. 
Krames,  The,  284,  285. 
Lawn  Market,  281,  284. 
Luckenbooths,  284,  285. 
Moray  House,  289. 
New  Town,  293,  294. 
Nor'  Loch,  278,  286,  293. 
North  Bridge,  278. 
North  Bridge,  the  New,  278. 
Old  Town,  278,  293,  294. 
Palace,  The,  280-281. 
Parliament  Square,  288. 
Picture  Gallery,  281. 
Princes    Street,    278,    293, 

294. 

Princes  Street  Gardens,  294. 
Queen  Mary's  Bath,  290. 
Regent's  Bridge,  278. 
Scott  Monument,  The,  294. 
South  Bridge,  The,  278. 
St.  Giles's  Church,  277,  284, 

286-287,  288,  289. 
St.  Margaret's  Chapel,  280. 
Tolbooth,  Canongate,  289. 
Tolbooth,     Old,     284,     285, 

289. 

Waterloo  Bridge,  278. 
West  Bow,  281,  282. 
White  Horse  Inn,  The,  290. 

THE  HAGUE,  99-123. 

Binnenhof,     The,     103-105, 

110,  112,  116. 
Bosch,  The,   102,  116,   117, 

118. 

Buitenhof,  The,  110,  111. 
Church  of  St.  James.     See 

Groote  Kerk. 


323 


Index 


Gedempte  Spui,  117. 
Gevangenpoort,    The,     102, 

110. 

Groenmarkt,  The,  112. 
Groote  Kerk,  116-117. 
Haagsche  Bosch,  102. 
Het  Loo,  109. 
House  of  Olden  Barneveldt, 

110. 

House  of  Spinoza,  117. 
House   in   the   Wood,    100, 

117-118,  148,  152. 
Huis  ten  Bosch,   102.     See 

House  in  the  Wood. 
Java  Straat,  110,  118. 
Kneuterdyk,  110,  118. 
Koninginne  Gracht,  99,  111. 
Koorte  Pooten,  111. 
Korte  Voorhout,  111. 
Lange  Pooten,  111. 
Lange  Voorhout,  99,  110. 
Mauritshuis,  103,  107,  148. 
Mauritskade,   111. 
Nieuwe  Kerk,  102,  117. 
Noordeinde  Straat,  99,  110. 
Old  Scheveningen  Road,  111, 

118. 

Paleis  Straat,  111. 
Plaats,  The,  110,  111. 
Plein,  99,  103,  111,  118. 
Plein,  1813,  111,  118. 
Royal  Palace,  111. 
Royal  Picture  Gallery,  107- 

110. 

Scheveningen,  102,  118-123. 
Scheveningensche  Bosch,  119. 
Scheveningen,  Dunes  of, 

122-123. 

s'  Gravenshage,  99. 
Singelsgracht,  111. 


Spui      Straat,      111,      112, 

117. 

Tournooiveld,  The,  110,  111. 
Town  Hall,  116. 
Tr6ves  Saloon,  The,  105. 
Vischmarkt,  The,  112. 
Vlaming  Straat,  112. 
Vyver,   The,   99,    103,    110, 

116. 
Vyverberg,    The,    103,    111, 

118. 
Willems-Park,  110,  111. 

HAMBURG,  160-186. 
Adolphs-Platz,  174. 
Alster  Arcades,  170. 
Alster-Bassin,  169. 
Alsterdamm,  169. 
AlsterhShe,  181. 
Alster,  Inner,  169,  178. 
Alster,  Outer,  169. 
Alster-Pavillion,    160,    170, 

171. 

Alsterthor,  181. 
Alte-Jungfernstieg,  169.  See 

Old  Jungfernstieg. 
Alteland,  162. 
Altona,  161,  162,  167,  169, 

185. 

Altrahlstadt,  185. 
Altstadt,  168. 
Ausser- Alster,      170,      172, 

185. 

Bergedorf,  161. 
Bille,  The,  169. 
Binnenhafen,  The,  176. 
Binnen- Alster,  169, 170, 171. 

See  Alster,  Inner. 
Blankenese,  161,  166,  185. 
B<5rse,  The,  174. 


324 


Index 


Botanical  Gardens,  182. 

Botanic  Museum,  182. 

Cremon,  The,  175. 

Cuxhaven,  162,  166,  186. 

Dammthor,  The,  182. 

Dammthorstrasse,  182. 

Docks,  172-173. 

Elbe,  161,  162,  165-166, 
168,  169,  183-184,  185. 

Esplanade,  182. 

Exchange.    See  Borse. 

Fish  Markets,  180,  181. 

Fleets,  The,  173-174,  183- 
184. 

Friedrichsruh,  186. 

GiLnse  Markt,  The,  182. 

Hafentor,  172. 

Hagenbeck's  Animal  Collec- 
tion, 183. 

Hansa  Fountain,  182. 

Hansa  Platz,  182. 

Harburg,  186. 

Hopfen  Markt,  The,  180. 

Hop  Market,  The,  180. 

Horn,  172. 

Johanneum,  181. 

Jungfernstieg,  160, 171.  See 
Alte-Jungfernstieg  and 
Neue-Jungfernstieg. 

Katharlnenstraase,  175. 

Kaufmannadiele,  The,  174. 

Klosterthor,  182. 

Kunathalle,  181. 

LombardabrUcke,  The,  170, 
171,  181,  182. 

Ltibeckerthor,  The,  182. 

LUneburger  Heide,  162,  186. 

Messburg,  The,  180. 

Natural  History  Museum, 
182. 


Neue-Jungfernstieg,  169.  See 

New  Jungfernstieg. 
Neue  Pferde  Markt,  183. 
Neuhof,  185. 
Neustadt,  168. 
New     Jungfernstieg,      177, 

179. 

Ninedorf,  186. 
Numtihlen,  162. 
Oevelgonne,  162. 
Old  Jungfernstieg,  170,  178, 

179. 

Othmarschen,  185. 
Pferde  Markt,  181. 
Post  Towers,  The,  171. 
Rathaus,  174-175. 
Rathaus-Markt,  174, 
Reesendammbriicke,        The, 

170. 

Reichenstrasse,  175. 
Reimersbrticke,  The,  173. 
Reinbeck,  186. 
Rodingsmarkt,  The,  175. 
Sachsenwald,  161,  186. 
Sailors'  Home,  The,  168. 
Schleuaenbrncke,  The,  170. 
St.  Gertrude's,  173-174. 
St.  Jakobi,  Church  of,  171, 

179. 
St.  James's,   181.     See  St. 

Jakobi,  Church  of. 
St.  Katharine's,  179,  180. 
St.  Michael's   Church,   167, 

170. 
St.    Nicholas,    Church    of, 

171,  176-177,  179-180. 
St.  Pauli,  169,  172. 
St.  Peter,  Church  of,  171, 

177,  179,  180-181. 
Stadt  Theatre,  182. 


325 


Index 


Steinstrasse,  181. 
Steinthor,  The,  182. 
Stephans  Platz,  182. 
Stintfang,  The,  168,  184. 
Town  Hall.    See  Rathaus. 
Uhlenhorst,  172,  186. 
Vierlande,  162. 
Wandabeck,  185. 
Zoll  Kanal,  The,  180. 
Zoological  Gardens,  183. 

LONDON. 

Adelphi,  ffhe,  33. 

Albert    Embankment,    The, 

35. 

Aldgate,  62. 

Bank  of  England,  59,  60. 
Bankside,  31. 
Battersea  Bridge,  37,  38. 
Battersea  Fields,  38. 
Battersea  Park,  38. 
Big  Ben,  35. 
Billingsgate  Market,  26. 
Bishopgate  Street,  60,  62. 
Bear  Gardens,  31. 
Belle  Sauvage,  La,  53. 
Bermondsey,  21. 
Birdcage  Walk,  45. 
Blackfriars  Bridge,  31. 
Blackheath,  15,  34. 
Blackwell  Tunnel,  19. 
Borough,  The.     See  South- 

wark. 

Bow  Bells,  67. 
Bow  Church,  67. 
Bread  Street,  68. 
British  Museum,  47. 
Buckingham  Palace,  45. 
Caesar's  Tower.     See  White 

Tower. 


Cannon  Street,  12. 
Chapel  of  St.  John  (Tower) , 

24. 
Chapel  of  St.  Peter  ad  Vin- 

cula,  25. 

Chapel  of  the  Pyx,  41. 
Charing  Cross,  34,  44,  49- 

50. 
Charing      Cross      Railway 

Bridge,  34. 
Chelsea  Bridge,  37. 
Cheapside,  15,  46,  58,  59. 
Cleopatra's  Needle,  33. 
City  of  London,  13-17,  18, 

50. 

City  of  Masts,  20. 
Chiswick  Eyot,  39. 
Cock  Lane,  47. 
Constitution  Hill,  45. 
Cornhill,  59,  60,  62. 
Coronation  Chairs,  43. 
Christ's  Hospital,  47. 
Cheapside  Cross,  58. 
Cheyne  Walk,  38. 
Chelsea  Embankment,  37. 
Chelsea  Hospital,  37. 
Cremorne  Gardens,  38. 
Crosby  Hall,  60-62. 
Custom  House,  26. 
Duke     Humphrey's     Walk, 

63. 

East  London,  62. 
Edgeware  Road,  46. 
Edward      the      Confessor's 

Chapel,  42. 
Epping  Forest,  62. 
Execution  Dock,  21. 
Fleet,  The,  32. 
Fleet  Prison,  32. 
Fleet  Street,  60,  62. 


326 


Index 


Folly  on  the  Thames,  The, 

29. 

Friday  Street,  58. 
Fulham,  39. 
Fulham  Palace,  39. 
Globe  Theatre,  31. 
Golden  Gallery,  56. 
Gray's  Inn,  52. 
Gray's  Inn  Walks,  52. 
"Great  Paul,"  57. 
Greater  London,  18. 
Green  Park,  45. 
Greenwich,  19. 
Greenwich  Hospital,  19. 
Greenwich  Park,  19. 
Greenwich  Tunnel,  19. 
Grosvenor  Embankment,  37. 
Guildhall,  The,  16,  58-59. 
Hammersmith,  39. 
Hampstead,  16. 
Henry  VII.'s  Chapel,  43. 
Hertford  House,  46. 
Highgate,   16. 
Holborn,  32,  46,  47. 
Horse  Guards,  45. 
House  of  Commons,  41. 
House  of  Lords,  41. 
Houses  of  Parliament,  34- 

35. 

Hurlingham  House,  39. 
Hyde  Park,  45,  46. 
Hyde  Park  Corner,  45,  48. 
Inns    of    Court,    The    four, 

50-52. 

Jacob's  Island,  21. 
Jerusalem    Chamber,    The, 

41. 

Kensington  Gardens,  45,  46. 
Kensington  Palace,  46. 
King's  College,  33. 


Lambeth  Bridge,  36. 
Lambeth  Marsh,  or  Marsh- 
es, 31,  34. 

Lambeth  Palace,  35-37. 
Law  Courts,  50. 
Limehouse,  20-21. 
Lincoln's  Inn,  51. 
London  Bridge,  13,  14,  15, 

26-27,  29,  32,  62. 
London  Docks,  20. 
London  Stone,  12. 
Ludgate,  15. 
Ludgate  Hill,  52-53. 
Manchester  Square,  46. 
Mansion  House,  59,  60. 
Marble  Arch,  46. 
Marshalsea  Gaol,  30. 
Mermaid  Tavern,  The,  58. 
Mitre,  The,  52. 
Modern  Babylon,  The,  11. 
Monument,  The    (London), 

17,  26. 

Moorfields,  16. 
National       Gallery,       The 

(London),  49. 
Nelson's  Column,  Trafalgar 

Square,  49. 
Newgate,  46. 
Newgate  Prison,  18,  47. 
Nonsuch  House,  27. 
Old  Lady  of  Threadneedle 

Street,  60. 

Oxford  Street,  46,  47. 
Pall  Mall,  48. 
Park  Lane,  45,  46. 
Paul's  Cross,  54. 
Paul's  Walk,  53. 
Piccadilly,  48. 
Pimlico     Railway     Bridge, 

37. 


327 


Index 


Poet's  Corner,  42. 

Pool,  The,  20. 

Poultry,  The,  59. 

Putney,  38. 

Putney  Bridge,  39. 

Pye  Corner,  47. 

Queen  Eleanor's  Cross,  49. 

Queen's  Stair,  The,  23. 

Ratcliffe  Highway,  21. 

Rotherhithe,  20. 

Rotten  Row,  46. 

Royal  Exchange,  59,  60. 

Savoy  Palace,  15,  33. 

Sebert,  Tomb  of,  42. 

Serpentine,  The,  40. 

Ship,  The  (Greenwich),  19. 

Smithfield,   14,   15,   16,   47, 
54. 

Somerset  House,  33. 

South  Kensington,  46. 

Southwark,  13,  15,  30. 

Southwark  Bridge,  32. 

Spitalfields,  17. 

St.    Bartholomew's    Hospi- 
tal, 48. 

St.   Bartholomew's   Priory, 
47,  48. 

St.  Clement's  Danes,  50. 

St.  Giles's,  Cripplegate,  58. 

St.  Helen's,  Bishopgate,  60- 
61. 

St.  Katharine's  Docks,  20, 
21. 

St.    Margaret's,    Westmin- 
ster, 44. 

St.        Martin-in-the-Fields, 
London,  49. 

St.  Mary-le-Bow.     See  Bow 
Church. 

St.  Mary-le-Strand,  50. 

328 


St.    Saviour's,    Southwark, 
30-31. 

St.  Sepulchre's,  47. 

St.  Stephen's  Cloisters,  43. 

St.  Stephen's  Crypt,  West- 
minster, 40. 

St.  Thomas's  Hospital,  35. 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  13, 16, 
27,  54-57. 

St.  Paul's,  Bells  of,  67. 

St.  Paul's,  Old,  53,  55. 

Steelyard,  The,  32. 

Strand,  The,  15,  49,  50. 

Stone  Gallery,  56,  57. 

Stone  of  Scone,  43. 

Swan  Theatre,  31. 

Tabard  Inn,  30. 

Tate  Gallery,  37. 

Temple,  The,  60. 

Temple  Bar,  50,  52. 

Temple  Church,  51. 

Temple,  Inner,  61. 

Temple,  Middle,  51. 

Thames,  The,  19,  27,  29. 

Thames  Tunnel,  19,  20. 

Thorney,  34. 

Threadneedle  Street,  59,  60. 

Tower,  The,  15,  21-25,  62. 

Tower  Bridge,  21. 

Tower  Hill,  25,  26. 

Tower  Subway,  26. 

Trafalgar  Square,  48,  49. 

Traitors'  Gate,  21,  23. 

Trinity  Square  Gardens,  25. 

Vauxhall  Bridge,  37. 

Vauxhall  Gardens,  37. 

Victoria  and  Albert  Docks, 
19. 

Victoria  Bridge,  37. 

Victoria  Embankment,  33. 


Index 


Wallace  Collection,  47. 
Wallbrook,  The,  32. 
Wandsworth,  38. 
Wapping,  21. 
Water  Gate,  34. 
Waterloo  Bridge,  29,  33. 
West  End,  The,  17,  60. 
West  India  Dock,  20. 
Westminster  Abbey,  13,  41- 

43. 
"  Westminster  Abbey  of  the 

City,"  The,  61. 
Westminster     Bridge,     31, 

35. 

Westminster  Hall,  40. 
Westminster  Palace,  35,  39. 
Whispering     Gallery,      55, 

56. 

White  Chapel,  62. 
White    Hart    Inn,    South- 

wark,  30. 

Whitehall,  40,  44-45,  48. 
White  Tower,  The,  13,  22, 

24. 

Wood  Street,  58. 
Woolwich,  19. 
York  House,  44. 

STOCKHOLM,  222-249. 

Adolf-Fredrika-Kyrka,  The, 
239. 

Berzelii  Park,  237. 

Blasieholmen,  240. 

Blasieholm.  See  Blasiehol- 
men. 

Blasieholmshamnen,  240. 

Brunkeberg,  239. 

Brunkebergs-Torg,  238. 

Brunnsviken,  244. 

Carl  XII.'s  Torg,  240. 


Djurgarden,    238,    241-242, 

248. 

Djurgiirds-Staden,  242. 
Drotting-Gatan,  238. 
Drottningholm,  245. 
Exchange,  The,  229. 
Frisens-Park,  242. 
German  Church.  See  Tyeka 

Kyrka. 
Gustaf-Adolfs-Torg,        237, 

238. 

Haga,  244. 

Hasselbacken,  The,  242. 
Helgeandsholm,     223,     228, 

237. 

Humlegard,  The,  239. 
Jacobs-Kyrka,  237. 
Johannes-Kyrka,  The,  239. 
Kanonier-Kasern,  241. 
Karl-Johans-Kyrka,  241. 
Kastelhohnen,  241,  247. 
Katarina-Kyrka,  240. 
King's    Garden,    The.      See 

Kungstrttdgard. 
Klara  Kyrka,  The,  238. 
Kornhamns  Torg,  230. 
Kungstradgard,  The,  237. 
Lake  Malar,  222,  230,  231, 

239,  240. 
Lejonbacken,  231. 
Logiirden,  231. 
Malar  Market,  230. 
Maria-Kyrka,  240. 
Meat  Market,  230. 
Mosebacken    Garden,    The, 

240. 

Munkbro,  230. 
National      Museum,      The, 

240-241. 
Norrbro,  229,  231,  236. 


329 


Index 


NorrstrSm,  The,  237,  238. 
Northern      Museum,      The, 

242. 

Ostermalm,  238,  239. 
Radhus,  235. 
Regfirings-Gatan,  238. 
Ridderholm,  222,  228. 
Riddarholmen.    See  Riddar- 

holm. 
Riddarholm     Church,     229. 

See    Riddarholms-Kyrka. 
Riddarholms-Kyrka,       The, 

235-236. 

Riddarhus,  The,  235. 
Riddarhus-Torg,  234. 
Rosendal,  244. 
Royal  Museum  of  Armour 

and  Costume,  233. 
Royal    Palace,    The,    229, 

230-233. 
Royal    Skating    Club,    241, 

247. 

SaltjS,  222,  229. 
Skansen,  242-244. 
Skeppsholmen,  241. 
Skeppsholms-Bro,  241. 
Skeppsbro,  231,  234. 
Slottsbacken,  231,  232. 
Slussen,  The,  230. 


SBdermalm,   229,  230,  239, 

240. 

SSderstrom,  230,  239. 
SMra  Teater,  240. 
St.     Clare's.       See     Klara 

Kyrka. 
St.    Gertrude,    Chapel    of, 

234. 
St.    Nicholas,    Church    of, 

229.     See  Storkyrka. 
Staden,  229,  230,  237,  239. 
Stora  Ny-Gatan,  234. 
Storkyrka,  229,  233-234. 
Stor-Torg,    The,    229,    234, 

248. 
Strandvag,  242.  See  Strand- 

vagen. 

Strandvagen,  238. 
Strom-Gatan,  238. 
Stromparterre,  The,  237. 
Svartman-Gatan,  234. 
Telephone  Tower,  The,  238. 
Town  Hall.    See  Radhus. 
Tyska  Kyrka,  The,  234. 
Ulriksdal,  244. 
Valhalla-Vag,  239. 
Venice  of  the  North,  The, 

222. 
Veaterlang-Gatan,  234. 


330 


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